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27 November 2001
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Prioritizing of business over health and the core draft of a simple and effective ConventionBy Helmut Lubbersecoglobe ecology discovery foundationGENEVA, 27 November 2001 - We have always thought that the well-being of our children constitutes one of the strongest motivations for human behaviour. Not so when negotiators believe that their own children are not endangered, it appears. Equally not true when country representatives believe they must protect the interests of (tobacco) business. Constitutional and legalistic arguments are put forward by the negotiators of powerful countries like the USA to protect the status quo or even perversely to increase liberties for their death industries. Apparently these people do either * insufficiently understand the health AND economic damage that tobacco production and smoking inflicts, and/or * believe their commitment to their government is more important than their personal responsibility to honestly try and help creating a really effective convention text, and/or * believe money is more important than suffering and death of others. Whatever, agents1 of the most powerful countries deploy all sorts of tactics that are delaying and even threatening to water down the strength of a Convention. It could be so easy, however, by applying simple logic and the honest desire to do something good for our societies. The core of an effective Tobacco Control Convention could read as follows: Preamble: (a) This Convention is made in the common understanding that public health in all countries shall take prevalence over perceived commercial interests of party countries. (b) In case of doubt and/or conflicting national and international laws, the application of health laws and regulations shall prevail. (c) Smoking shall be considered as deviant and harmful anti-social behaviour. Article One: (a) Tobacco and smoking publicity shall be prohibited in all its overt and covert forms. (b) This includes known and possibly yet unknown publicity such as brand stretching, feature articles, picturing of smokers in the media in numbers and situations that does not reflect the true representation in real society, individual person-to-person commercial promotion, participation of the tobacco industry in health programmes, quit-smoking programmes or other socially desirable activities, namely the protection of the environment such as anti-littering, etc. or the protection of vulnarable people, and other forms. (c) Terminology, such as "non-smoking" and "smoke-free" shall be replaced by new terminology such as "clean" or "smart" or other that correctly defines normal breathing as the norm. Article Two: (a) No distinction shall be made with regard to tobacco and smoking between adults and younger people. (b) No distinction shall be made with regard to tobacco and smoking between people of normal health and groups with special vulnerability. Article Three: (a) All tobacco products shall have uniform packaging. (b) The only distinctive feature shall consist of the name and address of the manufacturer, which is printed in standard black letters of uniform and identical sizes on a white or recycled paper coloured background. (c) No other feature that distinguishes between brands shall be allowed. (d) Apart from the indication of the contents, such as cigarettes or cigars, no other terms of distinction, such as mild, or low tar, etc. shall be allowed. (e) The packages shall contain health warnings that cover 80 % of the surfaces. (f) The packages shall not feature tar, nicotine or other specific tobacco contents indications. Article Four: (a) Parties shall make existing laws and regulations, such as on environmental protection, general and specific health protection at work and other places, applicable to the polluting and toxic effects of smoking tobacco products. (b) Parties shall instruct their authorities to actively enforce this Convention as well as existing legislation. Article Five: (a) Smoking shall be banned in all public places, indoors as well as outdoors, notably in restaurants, bars and on their outdoor terraces. (b) Smoking shall only be allowed in physically separated smoking rooms with ample ventilation to the outside, without thereby creating environmental nuisance to the neighbourhood. Article Six: (a) Effective measures shall be taken to control tobacco smuggling. Article Seven: (a) Developing and transitional countries shall receive assistance to convert tobacco farming communities to growing other crops. Article Eight: (a) Developing and transitional countries shall receive assistance to put the convention into practice. (b) The assistance shall be funded by yearly contributions of one per cent of the yearly turn-over of the tobacco industries and paid into a special health fund administered by the World Healths Organisation. Article Nine: (a) This Convention allows a maximum of three years to be be put into practice. (b) Parties who have not fully implemented this Convention after three years from date of ratification will pay five per cent of their tobacco industry's turnover of that particular year into a special health fund administered by the World Health Organisation. Article Ten: (a) Parties who fail to ratify this Convention within one year after its signature will be banned from further participation in the Convention's International Negotiating Body. The above is only a simple and preliminary sketch of an effective Convention text. Each article is justified by pragmatic and virtually valid arguments for its effects. Notably the distinction of special risk and age groups must be absolutely eliminated. Secondly, smoking promotion must be prohibited in all its possible forms. And last but not least, normal people must be protected against tobacco smoke indoors and outdoors. Smoking must remain legal, as well as the production and sales of tobacco products. But the restrictions will reduce the atractivity and glamour that is falsely connected with smoking. The restrictions will prevent new smokers to be recruited from amongst our children and youths, whilst simultaneously supporting smokers to reduce and quit their habit. 1 people who make a difference ... Back The complete list of participants at the INB3 document center (new window). Back To ecoglobe's Tobacco and smoking pages. email feedback to<welcome@ecoglobe.org.nz> - on-line feedback |
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27 November 2001
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