FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Megan Arendt Office: 202-659-4310 Email: arendtm@ash.org Obama Can Help End Tobacco Epidemic, Says ASH Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) Calls on President Obama to Choose Health Over Profits WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 24, 2015 – President Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Froman have the
By Krista Hughes WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) – The United States has floated excluding tobacco products from a key section of a 12-nation Pacific trade deal and signaled it may present a formal proposal to trading partners at talks in Australia, sources briefed on the negotiations said. Dropping tobacco from
January 27, 2014 Ambassador Michael Froman Office of the United States Trade Representative 600 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20208 Dear Ambassador Froman: The undersigned Attorneys General write to request that the United States Trade Representative act to preserve the ability of state and local governments to regulate tobacco products
33rd Congressional District of California Rep. Henry A. Waxman For Immediate Release: October 30, 2013 Karen Lightfoot (Waxman): (202) 225-5735 Doug Molof (Doggett): (202) 225-4865 Chris Meagher (Capps): (202) 225-3601 Reps. Waxman, Doggett, Capps, and Over 50 Members Urge Administration to Strengthen Tobacco Proposal for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement WASHINGTON,
The impact of trade on tobacco can seem complicated, but there are only 5 main things you need to know. Number 1: Tobacco is unique among consumer products. When used exactly as intended, tobacco products kill. Therefore, tobacco should be exempted or “carved out” from trade agreements. Number 2: Free
President Barack Obama‘s absence from a meeting of leaders from Asia Pacific dealt a symbolic blow to efforts to forge a regional trade pact. But Mr. Obama’s no-show, due to the drama of debt-ceiling talks in Washington, has little practical effect on the trade talks. Before news of Mr. Obama’s
Global trade negotiations in Washington this week will determine how cigarette companies will be able to market their products in developing nations—and potentially, overturn smoking restrictions around the world. As cigarette smoking has fallen in the United States and Europe thanks to public health laws and liability lawsuits, global tobacco
The U.S. has a rare opportunity this week to rein in the tobacco industry, and assert its mandate to protect and save lives, while proudly exercising cross-border diplomacy. The U.S. Trade Representative should accept a proposal to carve protections for Big Tobacco out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a
Vietnam and other countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations face aggressive interference from Big Tobacco in the passage and implementation of public health policies, critics warn. The US government has sought to include tobacco in a regional free-trade pact, which would enable tobacco companies to use trade rules to
Give thanks to Malaysia for heading off, at least temporarily, an American effort to weaken the ability of countries to impose stiff rules on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products within their own borders. The Malaysian proposal to preserve that ability led to a stalemate at a Trans-Pacific
By Chris Bostic, ASH Deputy Director for Policy August 14th was a strange day in my professional life. I have worked to fight the global tobacco epidemic for almost exactly 12 years now, and there have been highs and lows. One of the biggest of each came on that Wednesday.
Washington, DC 26 August – Tobacco control advocates from over 20 different countries lauded Malaysia for its announcement to exclude tobacco from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). The TPP is a free trade agreement involving twelve countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei – The Malaysian government is poised to table a proposal here that would completely carve out tobacco control measures from having to comply with any obligations in a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, according to informed sources. The proposal, which would effectively shield TPP governments from any
On the threat from trade agreements to tobacco regulations, few have been able to come as close to the heart of the matter as Mayor Bloomberg. His opinion piece in today’s New York Times in reaction to President Obama’s reversal on tobacco in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement brilliantly summarizes why
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia will not be bound by any fixed timeline with regards to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). At a special meeting convened today, the Cabinet made this stand as a number of issues, including that of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or government-linked companies, labour and Intellectual
The Malaysian government is expected to carve out tobacco from the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in a soon to be convened special Cabinet meeting, according to an official from the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC). MCTC president Dr Molly Cheah said the Ministry of International Trade and
U.S. will comply with WTO decision by moving to ban menthol additives GENEVA, SWITZERLAND 24 July – Yesterday the U.S. laid out its plan to come into compliance with a WTO dispute settlement panel finding that the U.S. ban on clove cigarettes violated the trading rights of Indonesia. The
U.S. Unlikely To Table Drug IPR, Tobacco Proposal At Current TPP Round Posted: July 18, 2013 KOTA KINABALU — A spokeswoman for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative strongly signaled that U.S. negotiators will not offer any new formal proposals here on two controversial issues in the Trans-Pacific
ASH Review: Second Quarter Edition 2013 In May, the 17th round of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was held in Lima, Peru. ASH representative Eduardo Bianco travelled to Lima to meet with delegates and educate them on the urgency of the tobacco issue. Once again, the U.S. failed to
Leading U.S. public health groups are urging newly confirmed United States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman to move forward with a proposal that would protect nations’ authority to enact measures to reduce tobacco use under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement the U.S. is negotiating with 11 other countries.
Health advocates in Southeast Asia hope the 16th round of the negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) would acknowledge tobacco products are harmful and cause disease and death. There are 125 million smokers in the ASEAN region and tobacco related deaths are the top killer. Sadly, these deaths
The 15th negotiating round of the ongoing TransPacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement will end tomorrow in Auckland, New Zealand. This marks the fourth round that U.S. negotiators have failed to “table” (formally propose) a special exception protecting governments’ right to legislate on tobacco, which they promised back in May.
A handful of business representatives that are closely following the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations have taken new jobs over the last few months. Linda Menghetti, an expert on investment issues who formerly served as vice president of the Emergency Committee for American Trade, left that position at the end of
Two state governments have called on the USTR to carve tobacco out of the TransPacific Partnership Agreement over well-grounded concerns that their own state and local tobacco control initiatives will be threatened by international trade tribunals. Maine and Vermont, both leaders among U.S. states in protecting their people’s health, sent
