Press Release:
INTERNATIONAL TOBACCO TREATY SET TO COME INTO FORCE

 

November 30 – Today, Peru became the fortieth country to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world's first public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Now that 40 countries have ratified it, the Convention will become international law and binding on its parties after 90 days. ASH applauds Peru and the other countries that have ratified the FCTC for taking a major step forward in the worldwide battle against tobacco.

 

While the United States was one of the 192 WHO members who unanimously adopted the FCTC in May 2003, and is among the 168 signatories, no action has yet been taken toward ratification. ASH urges President Bush to submit the Convention to the U.S. Senate for ratification as soon as possible.

 

The FCTC includes many of the most effective measures to reduce tobacco consumption. The FCTC obliges countries to:

·enact a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, marketing and promotion;

·place large, graphic warnings on cigarette packs;

·ban the use of misleading descriptors such as "light," "low-tar" and "mild;"

·raise tobacco taxes significantly;

·provide smoke-free public spaces and workplaces;

·compel companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products; and

·consider using litigation to hold the tobacco industry liable for its wrongdoings.

 

Tobacco-related illnesses kill an estimated 4.9 million people per year worldwide, including approximately 440,000 Americans. The worldwide toll is expected to double in a generation unless trends are reversed. Many of the forty ratifying countries are from the developing world, which has been increasingly targeted by international tobacco companies as consumption in developed countries has leveled off.

 

"ASH has been proud to play a substantial role in bringing this treaty to reality, and is set to begin the equally difficult task of implementation and enforcement," said John F. Banzhaf, Executive Director of ASH. "The coming into force of the FCTC is the culmination of nearly a decade of effort."

 

"Now that the FCTC will enter into force, it is crucial that governments maintain the momentum and implement efficient and life saving tobacco control legislation" said Laurent Huber, International Coordinator for ASH. "Weak implementation and poor interpretation of the FCTC may not adequately promote public health and save lives."

 

 

Laurent Huber

International Coordinator

Action on Smoking and Health

2013 H Street NW

Washington, DC 20006 U.S.A

 

Presented as a public service by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH),
2013 H Street, N.W., Wash., DC 20006, USA, (202) 659-4310.
ASH is a 36-year-old national legal-action antismoking and nonsmokers' rights organization which is entirely supported by tax-deductible contributions.
  Please credit ASH, and include ASH's web address: http://ash.org