Three
years
ago,
an
international
treaty
took
effect
that
was
designed
to
help
developing
countries
resist
aggressive
marketing
by
big
tobacco
companies.
The
idea
was
that
if a
large
number
of
countries
committed
themselves
to
the
same
tobacco
control
policies
—
including
bans
on
all
advertising
and
promotion
—
they
would
be
better
able
to
resist
pressure
from
multinational
tobacco
companies
and
their
own
domestic
tobacco
sellers.
Unfortunately,
the
governments
of
low-
and
middle-income
countries
have
not
followed
through.
With
tobacco
use
declining
in
wealthier
countries,
tobacco
companies
are
spending
tens
of
billions
of
dollars
a
year
on
advertising,
marketing
and
sponsorship,
much
of
it
to
increase
sales
in
these
developing
countries.
A
new
report
issued
by
the
World
Health
Organization,
with
financial
help
from
Mayor
Michael
Bloomberg’s
foundation,
offers
the
first
comprehensive
analysis
of
tobacco
use
and
control
efforts
in
179
countries.
It
notes
that
tobacco
will
kill
more
people
this
year
than
tuberculosis,
AIDS
and
malaria
combined.
It
warns
that
unless
governments
do
more
to
slow
the
epidemic,
tobacco
could
kill
a
billion
people
by
the
end
of
the
century,
the
vast
majority
in
poor
and
middle-income
countries.
There
is
no
great
mystery
about
what
needs
to
be
done.
The
W.H.O.
recommends
several
proven
strategies:
very
high
taxes
on
tobacco
products;
a
total
ban
on
all
advertising
and
promotion;
a
ban
on
smoking
in
all
public
places
and
workplaces;
large,
scary
warning
pictures
on
packs;
and
strong
programs
to
help
people
quit.
Yet
few
countries
are
doing
any
of
these
things
with
notable
vigor.
Not
a
single
country
fully
implements
all
of
the
measures,
and
not
one
of
the
recommended
steps
covers
more
than
about
five
percent
of
the
global
population.
The
tobacco
companies’
vigor
to
sell
is
unflagging.
As
part
of a
strategy
to
ramp
up
its
sales
in
the
developing
world,
Philip
Morris
International
is
being
spun
off
from
the
Altria
Group
so
that
it
can
escape
the
threat
of
litigation
and
government
regulation
in
the
United
States.
The
international
company
is
also
planning
a
slew
of
new
products
aimed
at
particular
countries,
including
sweet-smelling
cigarettes
that
have
more
tar
and
nicotine.
It
is
hard
—
no,
impossible
— to
believe
claims
by
many
companies
that
they
are
not
trying
to
addict
new
smokers
but
are
only
trying
to
convert
adults
who
are
using
inferior
local
brands.
The
W.H.O.
survey
contends
that
the
industry
is
targeting
teenagers
and
women
in
developing
countries.
One
problem
is
that
many
low-
and
middle-income
countries
have
become
addicted
to
revenues
from
tobacco
taxes,
which
may
lessen
their
zeal
to
curb
tobacco
sales.
Such
governments
need
to
realize
that
unless
they
move
now
to
curb
the
epidemic,
tobacco
will
cause
horrendous
health
and
economic
damage.
The
Bush
administration,
which
reluctantly
signed
the
international
treaty,
has
not
submitted
it
to
the
Senate
for
ratification.
That
means
that
the
United
States
officials
will
not
have
a
seat
at
negotiations,
begun
last
week,
over
a
supplementary
treaty
to
combat
smuggling,
counterfeiting
and
other
illicit
trade
in
tobacco
products
— a
source
of
funds
for
criminal
gangs
and
terrorist
groups
that
could
threaten
this
country’s
security.
The
White
House
needs
to
stop
dithering
and
present
the
treaty
for
ratification.
NYTimes
Editorial
link
