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ASH Daily News
17 October 2002


HEADLINES

FCTC negotiations
New Yorkers left fuming
Correction


FULL TEXT


FCTC negotiations

The 191 member countries of the World Health Organisation are meeting in
Geneva this week to negotiate on the text of the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control.

Clive Bates, director of Action on Smoking and Health is at the FCTC
intergovernmental meeting and has written specially for the CorpWatch. The
following article provides an insight into the negotiations taking place:

================================
Despite strong tobacco control positions from many developing countries and
some good contributions from Europe, Canada and Australia, the treaty is
drawing ever closer to Philip Morris's design. In July, the Chair of the
negotiations, Brazilian Ambassador Luiz Felipe de Seixas Corra, issued his
new 'Chair's text', supposedly a best shot at synthesising the discussions
of the previous four negotiating sessions.

The text was so disappointing that debate among non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) centred on whether this new text was worse than nothing
at all, and whether outright opposition is the right approach. . .

Just in case the tobacco lobby does not get it own way entirely, the Chair,
Seixas Corra of Brazil, has suggested a series of provisions that would
subordinate this treaty to the WTO agreements. So the validity of the public
health measures in the Framework Convention would be tested in the dispute
resolution panels under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS),
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and TRIPs (Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property rights) agreements, all of which are guided by
protecting free trade rather than health. . .

Nevertheless, public interest organisations are still in there fighting hard
for a good treaty at this week's meeting in Geneva. They are strengthened by
the clear statements given by many developing countries over the last three
months in favour of a strong, meaningful Convention that puts health and
human welfare ahead of the commercial interests of Big Tobacco. Meanwhile,
it remains to be seen whether the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
can be salvaged, or whether public interest groups will be forced to call
for scrapping the treaty.

Link: <http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=4428>
================================
Source: CorpWatch Online 17 October 2002




New Yorkers left fuming

New York is gasping a for smoke. Or it will be soon. Statistics published
yesterday showed a draconian anti-tobacco tax imposed by the mayor in New
York caused a two thirds drop in sales of cigarettes in the city last month
reports the Independent.

The effect of Michael Bloomberg’s huge tax are becoming clear. He is
separately pressing for laws that would give New York the toughest
anti-smoking regime of any city in America. Citing passive smoking risks, he
wants to stub out cigarettes in all restaurants and bars.

Smokers in the city are already reeling, continues the article - tobacco tax
has risen from 8 cents to $1.50 a pack. It is not unusual now to pay $7.50
(£4.83) for a pack of 20.

Testifying before a rowdy session of the council a week ago, the Mayor said
his proposals would “preserve live, extend lives and save lives.” He added:
“In fact, it will almost certainly save more lives than any other proposal
that will come before this chamber.”

Source: The Independent, 17 October 2002

News that America isn’t winning the war on cancer gave Mayor Bloomberg’s
proposals more salience.

Contrary to optimistic reports from the National Cancer Institute showing
the incidence of several devastating cancers has levelled off or even
declined in recent years, rates for at least some of the cancers has been
rising, according to a new analysis by NCI statistics.

Source: Wall Street Journal Europe, 17 October 2002-10-17



Correction

An erratum in the ASH Daily News bulletin on the 10/10/02 lead to a sentence
to be read as “…ASH maintains that “safer cigarettes” should be strictly
regulated by the government and [that there is substance to the TMA’s call
for an exemption].”

Of course, this should have read “… [there is NO substance in TMA’s call for
an exemption.]”

Of course ASH believe there is no substance in the call for an exemption.
There has never been a tobacco ad with any sensible health information, the
tobacco industry has spent years deceitfully implying that 'light' cigs were
less dangerous, and the fact that claims for reduced risk cigarettes should
be subject to regulatory control and communicated to customers through means
other than certain-to-be abused advertising all mean this idea should go no
further.

The TMA's strategy is to try to press for an amendment to the Bill, but that
is only to delay it so that it doesn't become law before the next Queen's
speech in November.





Naj Dehlavi
Action on Smoking and Health
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
http://www.ash.org.uk