Origins of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control originated in 1993 with a decision by Ruth Roemer and Allyn Taylor to apply to tobacco control Taylor's idea that the WHO should utilize its constitutional authority to develop international conventions to advance global health. In 1995, Taylor and Ruth Roemer proposed various options to WHO, recommending the framework convention-protocol approach conceptualized by Taylor. Despite initial resistance by some WHO officials, this approach gained wide acceptance. In 1996, the World Health Assembly voted to proceed with its development. Negotiations by WHO member states led the World Health Assembly in May 2003 to adopt by consensus the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control-the first international treaty adopted under WHO auspices. The treaty formally entered into force for state parties on February 27, 2005.

Legislative action to combat the world tobacco epidemic / Ruth Roemer ; with a chapter by Richard A. Daynard / L' action législative contre l' épidémie mondiale de tabagisme / Acción legislativa contra la epidemia mundial de la tabaquismo

Examines the ways in which legislation - whether involving comprehensive national laws or personal litigation against the tobacco industry - is being used to reduce tobacco use and promote the goal of a tobacco-free society. Drawin upon over 250 studies conducted throughout the world, the book concentrates on the many promising new legislative strategies that have developed within a climate of opinion that regards tobacco and sidestream smoke as toxic substances, gives priority to the non-smokers rights, and rejects the industrys freedom to promote an addictive, lethal product. By describing and analysing recent legislation, the book also provides a heartening account of both the spread of legislation and the reasons for its increased strength and effectiveness. The book has 15 main chapters. The opening chapters trace the history of knowledge about the health risks of tobacco and explain some of the issues surrounding the place of legislation in a policy for control. An overview of the different forms of government action is also provided. The ten chapters which constitute the core of the book are organized to reflect two main categories of smoking control measures: those leading to changes in the production, manufacture, promotion, and sale of tobacco, and those designed to achieve changes in practice among smokers. On the production or supply side, five chapters describe measures involving the control of advertising and sales promotion, the use of health warnings and statements of tar and nicotine content, control of harmful substances in tobacco, restrictions on sales to adults, and economic strategies for decreasing tobacco production. Each chapter provides information on the reasons why legislation is needed, the types of laws that have been enacted in recent years, and the lessons that have been learned. Readers are reminded that voluntary agreements with the industry do not work, that the traditional warning, "Smoking is hazardous to health", is obsolete and no longer effective, and that the best option is total prohibition of all advertising and promotion, including sponsorship of sports events and the arts. Chapters concerned with controlling demand cover tax and price policies, legislation on smoke-free public places and public transport, legislation on smoke-free workplaces, strategies for preventing young people from smoking, and the use of legislation to mandate health education. Other chapters describe the major types of judicial action that have been used for tobacco control, discuss the special challenge faced in developing countries, and offer advice on how to develop and implement a policy on tobacco control. Six annexes, including an extensive country-by-country tabulation of anti-tobacco legislation, conclude the book. Issued at a time when several national governments are making quantum leaps forward in the legislative attack on tobacco use, the book should prove especially useful as both a source of encouragement and a practical guide to action