BMJ  2006;332:313-314 (11 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7537.313

Editorial

The tobacco industry in developing countries

Has forestalled legislation on tobacco control

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The multinational cigarette companies act as a vector that spreads disease and death throughout the world. This is largely because the tobacco industry uses its wealth to influence politicians to create a favourable environment to promote smoking. The industry does so by minimising restrictions on advertising and promotion and by preventing effective public policies for tobacco control such as high taxes,¹ strong graphic warning labels on packets,^{2 w1 w2} smoke-free workplaces and public places,³ aggressive counter-marketing media campaigns,^{4 w3-w5} and advertising bans.¹ Unlike mosquitoes, another vector of worldwide disease, the tobacco companies quickly transfer the information and strategies they learn in one part of the world to others.^w6-w8

Responding to this global threat, as of January 2006, 121 countries had ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first global public health treaty. The details of how this treaty will be implemented are just beginning to emerge. Two . . . [Full text of this article]

Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, USA
(ernesto.sebrie@ucsf.edu)

Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, USA
(glantz@medicine.ucsf.edu)

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Glusker, A. (2006). Who will lead WHO?. BMJ 333: 938-938 [Full text]  
• Avila, M. H. (2006). Mexico and the tobacco industry: editorial lost sight of the real enemy.. BMJ 332: 548-548 [Full text]  
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