A Global Perspective on Tobacco in America
Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death, and while significant progress has been made, international examples help to illustrate steps that could be taken by the United States to curb this epidemic. “Avoidable Death” considers U.S. tobacco control activities with regard to six articles from the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The FCTC – the first global health treaty – calls for measures, such as graphic warning labels, total bans on advertising, and limiting tobacco industry influence over health regulations. During the past fifty years, the rest of the world has not been idle in the fight against tobacco.
The report uses international examples and introductions from guest authors to illustrate successes in tobacco control around the world and aims to inspire positive change in the United States. Some exemplars include:
- Australia, which requires that tobacco products be sold in plain packaging, without colorful branding;
- Mauritius, which has banned all tobacco advertising, including so-called “corporate social responsibility” schemes;
- Uruguay, which allows only one variant of each brand, to stop the tobacco industry from using colors to represent misleading claims like “light” and “low”;
- Norway, which requires that tobacco be hidden behind the counter in stores;
- And many countries that now require large, pictographic warnings on tobacco packaging.
