Bush
Administration Sides With Tobacco Industry Against the Rest of the World
U.S. Causes Failure of Efforts to Ban
Smoking Ads
December 1, 2001
The entire world was ready to
agree
to ban cigarette advertising. Except one country. Guess which
one that was?
The U.S. objected, and the
talks to establish a global anti-tobacco agreement failed.
There was also a proposed ban
on putting "light" or "low-tar" labels on packs of
cigarettes. The Bush adminstration also opposed that, despite the fact
that the National Cancer Institute just released a study saying that such
types of cigarettes do not offer a reduced risk of lung cancer and other
smoking-related diseases.
There was one area of
activity that the Bush officials supported, however, measures to curb
cigarette smuggling:
The United States is
pushing for measures to stop the practice and introduced an addendum to
the proposed treaty that would commit countries to fight smuggling.
So the only thing the U.S.
supports is a measure to ensure that cigarette companies get the profits
from the sale of the deadly carcinogens.
Oppose health measures, and
support only corporate profits: sounds just like the Bush administration,
doesn't it?
At least they're consistent. |
