The Dominican Republic has filed formal papers to sue Australia in the World Trade Organization over its plain packaging of cigarettes. Australia is now being sued in three different courts by multiple countries and multinational corporations. The Australian government is refusing to settle or to back down in its legislation,
(Jakarta Post) A US scientist says various kinds of cancer are linked to smoking, therefore cancer risk assessments need to focus on reducing tobacco consumption. Harold Elliot Varmus, the winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Medi-cine, said a person’s genetic predisposition for cancer was small compared to the enormous
The United States did not table its tobacco exception at the latest round of TransPacific Partnership negotiations. The issue apparently did not come up during the closed-door sessions, although it was a central concern of NGOs during the one-hour stakeholder briefing with the chief negotiators. The next round is scheduled
Canada and Mexico are set to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement talks. They have agreed to accept any provisions that have been agreed before they join, in spite of the fact that they are not allowed to see the text. In essence, this is like signing a legal contract without
(July 2-10, 2012 / San Diego, Calif. ) The most recent negotiating round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership took place in San Diego, California from July 2-10, 2012. Chris Bostic ASH Deputy Director for Policy will be there presenting to trade negotiators and other key allies on the necessity of a
(NZ Week / June 15, 2012) “US plans to table a specific exception of tobacco contradict the government’s reassurances that a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement would not restrict New Zealand’s right to introduce plain packaging or other tobacco control laws”, according to University of Auckland Law Professor Jane Kelsey. “If the
Clearly, even though it kills over 5 million people per year, tobacco remains a very lucrative business. Quoting Warren Buffet: “I’ll tell you why I like the cigarette business. It cost a penny to make. Sell it for a dollar. It’s addictive. And there’s a fantastic brand loyalty.” According to
[link: https://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/06/local/la-me-prop29-20120607] During its Presidential primary election, California voters also had the chance to weigh in on a proposed $1/pack tax on cigarettes to fund cancer research. Polling just a few weeks before the vote showed widespread support in a state that is health-conscious, cash strapped and has one of
On June 1st 2012 the Czech Republic joined the tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. 177 out of 195 eligible Parties have become Parties to this treaty. The U.S. has not yet joined this treaty. President Obama should take action and choose health over tobacco and submit this
(31, May 2012) This year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day is “Tobacco Industry Interference”. The focus is on the need to expose and counter the tobacco industry’s attempts to undermine global tobacco control efforts. For more information please visit the WHO website.
(PHAI Blog) Three key issues were taken up at the 2012 Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) Annual Shareholders Meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on May 3rd. First, the issue drawing the most public attention was the company’s dealings with groups representing farm workers who toil under dangerous conditions and provide the
The world must stay make clear commitments to reduce the tobacco caused epidemic. As Dr Chan, Director General of the WHO says, “what gets measured gets done”. The governments of the world have agreed to achieve a meaningful target during the World Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the
On May 8-9 I attended in Brasilia, Brazil, the first working meeting of the Pan American Forum for Action on Noncommunicable Diseases (PAFNCD), an initiative of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) that confronts the Noncommunicable (NCD) epidemic in the Americas by mobilizing different interest groups to prevent
(WebProNews.com / May 8, 2012) With all the recent talk about CISPA and ACTA, it seems like we’ve been forgetting about our old friend TTP, or Trans-Pacific Partnership. For those who need a recap, TPP is essentially ACTA for the U.S. and Pacific nations. The only key difference is that
(Wall Street Journal / May 7, 2012) The president wants other countries to embrace free trade, while defending tariffs for domestic textiles. Trade officials from nine dynamic Asia-Pacific economies begin 10 days of talks today in Dallas, Texas, hoping to finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact by the end of this
(Huffington Post) Next week in Dallas, negotiations for what’s likely to be the largest Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in U.S. history will continue in near total secrecy, despite growing demands for an open process. The darkness surrounding the talks isn’t surprising, considering the American public’s increasing disapproval of FTAs and
Tobacco use has been determined to be very costly to society as you can see in this Harvard- World Economic Forum publication. According to a recent American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation report the annual economic burden of tobacco related illnesses exceeds total annual health expenditures in low and
(24, April 2012) At the meeting on April 24, 2012 the DSB adopted the panel and appellate body reports on US measures affecting the sale of clove cigarettes (DS406). For more information please visit the WTO website
(Dominion Post) New Zealand has not signed any free trade agreement that will stop plans to sell cigarettes in plain packaging, Prime Minister John Key says. That’s despite threats by a consortium of American organisations who issued a statement over the weekend claiming tobacco firms’ logos and branding were protected
(Jakarta Globe) Last year, Indonesia’s clove cigarettes made headlines internationally. In an unprecedented move, Indonesia challenged superpower trading partner the United States at the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement body over the US Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. That law effectively banned the circulation and import of Indonesian
We applaud New York City Mayor and philanthropist Michael R. Bloomberg, for his unwavering commitment to public health by announcing his continued support of US $220 million to the global fight against tobacco use, bringing his total support to over US $600 million. We encourage other philanthropists to follow his
WASHINGTON, DC (March 23, 2012) Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) applauds New York City Mayor and philanthropist Michael R. Bloomberg, for his unwavering commitment to public health by announcing his continued support of US $220 million to the global fight against tobacco use, bringing his total support to over
The World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) is the premier, international conference on tobacco control. It is held once every 3 years, and attracts thousands of academics, health professionals, non-government organisations and public officials from more than 100 countries. The 15th WCTOH will be held in Singapore from 20
(Dec. 5, 2011) The Green Party is calling on the Government to reject attempts to introduce investor-state disputes mechanisms into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations in light of evidence that the Philip Morris tobacco company is planning to use the TPP to block anti-smoking laws. “Most New Zealanders will
