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US Signs FCTC [05/11-1]
Excerpts from: U.S. Signs International Tobacco Treaty
LA Times [05/10/04]
The United States signed the World Health Organization's sweeping anti-tobacco treaty Monday, the 108th nation to join an accord that promises major advertising restrictions and other controls on the deadly product.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson signed the document at the United Nations late Monday. The Senate still must ratify the treaty; it's not clear how quickly that consideration could come.
The so-called Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is designed to prevent some of the nearly 5 million annual deaths worldwide attributed to tobacco use -- and to curb increasing use of tobacco by children and adolescents. More than 400,000 Americans die each year from smoking-related diseases.
The treaty calls on participating nations to adopt bans or restrictions on tobacco advertising and marketing, put new warnings on packages and clamp down on smuggling and secondhand smoke.
WHO adopted the treaty last year, after four years of negotiations. It is to take effect after 40 nations have ratified it; nine have so far, HHS said.
click here for information on the latest signatories of the FCTC
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