Politics and science of a killer epidemic

Sri Lanka, Feb. 12 -- The tobacco epidemic is a rare one. In the fifty years since it was first established that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, worldwide tobacco use has increased. In other words, the causative factor of the epidemic of lung cancer- which is tobacco use- has been allowed to increase. The factors for the spread of the tobacco epidemic include corporate power, government indifference and poorly informed consumers. The end result is one of the more amazing feats of the last century, namely the ability of the tobacco industry to stay healthy while its customers got ill.

Every effort to regulate the industry has met with an equal or greater effort to evade regulations. The tactics employed by the tobacco industry to evade regulation include the following * Public relations- Mould public opinion using the media to promote pro-industry positions *Political funding- Use campaign contributions to win votes and legislative favours from politicians; *Lobbying- Cut deals and influence political process *Consultancy programmes- produce "independent" experts critical of tobacco control measures *Creating alliances- Mobilize farmers, retailers and PR to influence legislation *Philanthropy- Buy friends and social respectability from arts, sports and cultural groups *International treaties- Use international trade agreements such as the TRIPS Agreement to force entry into closed markets *Smuggling- Undermine tobacco excise policies and increase profits and litigation and challenge the laws in courts. For example, a Bulletin of the World Health Organization reported that rival tobacco companies had coordinated their efforts in opposing legislation, so that the same tactics, arguments and hired consultants have appeared in places as far flung as Canada, Hong-Kong, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

The World Health Organization [WHO] has responded effectively to the global strategy of the tobacco industry. Some years ago the World Health Assembly [WHA] adopted its first ever treaty - The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC]. The Convention reflects agreement among the WHO member states on a set of international minimum standards for the regulation of tobacco use and tobacco trade. Its basic aim is to stimulate governments worldwide to adopt effective national tobacco control policies. Another aim is to promote collective action in dealing with cross-border issues such as illicit trade in tobacco and internet sales.

The WHO FCTC is a major weapon to counter-attack the tobacco epidemic which if unchecked will kill 450 million people in the next 50 years. The costs for governments to treat diseases caused by tobacco will be enormous and more than the revenue by way of excise duty on tobacco. With 70 percent of all future deaths occurring in developing countries, the treaty is particularly important for these countries including Sri Lanka.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Daily Mirror Sri Lanka.

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