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At UN, nations seek to fight tobacco smuggling 

Many of the 145 countries attending a global conference on cigarette smuggling like the idea of devoting part of their tobacco tax revenues to fighting trafficking, a World Health Organization official said on Thursday.

"Many, many countries felt that this was a very sensible way to go, and I believe this will be in the final text of the meeting, " said Dr. Derek Yach, head of noncommunicable diseases at the Geneva-based U.N. health arm, the World Health Organization.

"That formula, we believe, is something which should be followed, " he told reporters at the end of the three-day conference at U.N. headquarters sponsored by the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Officials of the U.S. agency said cracking down on the illicit tobacco trade was intended to ensure governments got all the tax revenues due them, so they could spend the money on health programs, among other things.

Strict controls on tobacco sales are also necessary for governments to carry out such health-related policies as restricting sales to young people and requiring health warnings on packaging, they said.

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