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Action on Smoking and Health
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The following letter was sent by ASH to senators on June 5th 2001 RE: Administration's Obstruction of WHO World Anti-Tobacco Treaty Dear Senator : We are writing to suggest and request that you take whatever steps you can to Prevent the United States from continuing to try to emasculate the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC], including: A. Joining in ASH's call for hearings by either the Senate Committee on Health or the Senate Committee on International Affairs; AND B. Writing to the delegates [LIST ATTACHED] to express your concern. The FCTC is a treaty-like document now being drafted by delegates from many countries. It represents the first and only hopes for generating worldwide cooperation to reduce the needless deaths from tobacco -Hillary Rodham estimated to be over 1,000,000/yr in only a few years. Even though the original draft [Chairman's draft] of the proposed FCTC was far weaker and vaguer than many antismoking organizations had expected, the U.S. delegation has consistently made proposal after proposal designed to further weaken it. Indeed, at the most recent meeting [May '01] of the delegates in Geneva, the U.S. delegates proposed change after change in treaty language which would eliminate specific requirements, substitute vague and easily-evaded requirements for strict ones, and in many situations eliminate a provision altogether. [PLEASE SEE ATTACHED EXAMPLES] The US and world press are replete with criticism of the U.S.'s position [PLEASE SEE ATTACHED EXAMPLES], especially since we should be setting an example for less-developed countries whose citizens are less informed, and whose consumer protection resources are more limited. Instead, we appear to be basing its policy towards the world's number one preventable killer on what can best assure profitability for the tobacco industry. We respectfully suggest that requiring the U.S. delegates to the FCTC to testify under oath would be a major public service, and one, which could attract almost as much public attention as the testimony of key tobacco executives in 1994 that nicotine was not addictive. In addition, you may wish to consider writing to them to express your concerns. Please feel free to call upon ASH if we can be of any further assistance in this matter. Yours truly, John F. Banzhaf III |
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