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Heartline Magazine October - December 2004
40 countries ratify FCTC
Another barrage was fired in the campaign against smoking when on November
30th. Peru became the 40th state to ratify the World Health Organization’s
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC will now enter into
force and become part of international law on 28 February 2005. The FCTC is
the first international legally binding public health treaty under the
auspices of WHO. The provisions of the treaty set international standards on
tobacco price and tax increases, tobacco advertising and sponsorship, also
labelling, illicit trade and second-hand smoke.
“It demonstrates the importance placed by the international
community on saving many of the millions of lives now lost to tobacco," said Dr
Lee Jong-wook, WHO Director-General. "I look forward to more countries joining
the 40 states that are making it possible for this treaty to become law."
Tobacco is the only legal product that causes the death of
one half of its regular users. This means that of the current 1.3 billion
smokers, 650 million people will die prematurely due to tobacco. As Barbados is
not one of the 40 countries that has signed the treaty the Heart Foundation is
continuing to encourage the Government to sign up.
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