International News from the 14th WCTOH

Since the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health kick started earlier this week, policies and topics discussed are being covered by the media worldwide. Lets take a look at some of the International articles pertaining to Tobacco carried by the media from India as well as around the world.

Smoking costs America $101 bn annually in health care

Though use of tobacco is declining in the US compared to developing countries, the habit still costs the country more than $101 billion in health care.

"Annual healthcare costs, both public and private, caused by smoking amount to $96 billion while $5 billion is spent on healthcare related to second-hand smoke. Premature deaths caused by smoking amount to $97 billion in productivity losses," according to the Tobacco Burden Facts on the US, released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, at the ongoing 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai Tuesday.

Obama's smoking 'lights up' Mumbai meet

US President Barack Obama has come under attack at the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health here for smoking in public - and urged to kick the habit. Obama was singled out at the meet among successful men with a smoking habit.

Anti-smoking activists, doctors and experts described Obama's smoking as an "irresponsible" act taking into account his influential public persona. "I was not aware that Obama smokes. It was shocking for me to know this," a public health activist from Jordan, Kawkab Shishani, told IANS.

Shishani, a delegate, said smoking by a world leader like Obama sends a wrong message. "What would the young learn from him? Obama should give up smoking sooner than later."

Nigeria, Others Seek Compliance from Tobacco

At the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in India which began yesterday and will run to March 12, 2009, governments and civil society are demanding that tobacco corporations comply swiftly with new treaty guidelines preventing industry interference in health policy.

Tobacco companies have long interfered in national health protections that might threaten its profits. The industry has done everything from lavishing gifts on officials and drafting tobacco control laws to hiring officials to lobby agencies they use to work for. All such activities were explicitly prohibited during the third session of the Conference of Parties (COP3), a global tobacco meeting held in Durban, South Africa in November 2008.

“Philip Morris International and others have a history of working at cross-purposes with the letter of the law and public health,” said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director for Corporate Accountability International. “This gathering of governments and civil society is a critical opportunity to forge the institutions and grassroots movements essential to spare our children the tobacco epidemic we face today.”

International Community Demands Big Tobacco Comply Swiftly with ...

At the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in India this week, governments and civil society are demanding tobacco corporations comply swiftly with new treaty guidelines preventing industry interference in health policy.

Big Tobacco has long interfered in public health laws and regulations that might threaten its profits. The industry has done everything from offering contributions and "partnerships" with governments and drafting tobacco control laws to planting its representatives in tobacco control bodies.

The global tobacco treaty, formally known as the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), slams the door on such tactics. At a treaty enforcement meeting in South Africa last November, ratifying countries unanimously adopted a set of guidelines to protect against tobacco industry interference. The treaty is in force in more than 160 countries, home to over 85 percent of the world´s people.

"Philip Morris International and other tobacco giants have a history of working at cross-purposes with the letter of the law and public health," said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director for Corporate Accountability International. "This gathering of governments and civil society is a critical opportunity to forge the institutions and grassroots movements essential to spare our children from the tobacco epidemic we face today."

Tobacco-related deaths in Asia reported on the rise

Tobacco will kill 6 million people annually by next year and cause an estimated 500 billion-dollar loss to the global economy, according to health conference in India Tuesday.

The 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai revealed that China and India were the world's biggest tobacco users at 325 million and 241 million tobacco users respectively.

'Tobacco industry has shifted its marketing and sales efforts to countries that have less effective public health policies and fewer resources and by 2010, tobacco will kill 6 million people worldwide annually,' Judith Mackay, special advisor at World Lung Foundation which prepared the document with American Cancer Society, the Zee TV news network reported.

Corporate leaders pledge to make work places smoke free

Corporate leaders from 60 companies came together here on Monday, not for a business meet, but to pledge to make work places smoking free. At least 19 companies signed a commitment to make their work places smoking free in the presence of Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss at the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health here.

The corporate leaders also participated in a symposium on 'Corporate Leaders Meet on Worksite Wellness Initiatives: Promoting Smoke Free Workplaces in India'. The anti-tobacco law came into effect in the country Oct 2, 2008. The rules mandates that all public places, including government offices, public and private offices be smoking free.

Stubbed at workplace, smokers find new haunts to light up

The no-smoking board at one's workplace does keep smokers at bay, but a new survey conducted across the globe including India has indicated that a majority of
the cigarette-addicts simply found an alternative place to smoke.

A whopping 81% of the Indian employees interviewed said that they had found a new place to smoke ever since the ban on smoking at workplaces was implemented on October 2, 2008. On the bright side, the survey showed that 37% of the Indian employees were trying to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoked in a day.

The Global Workplace Survey conducted across 14 countries involved 21-minute interviews with over 3,000 employed smokers and employers. Indian findings were in sync with the data gathered in other countries such as the UK, France, Turkey and Brazil.