Jump to full article: UPI, 2002-08-01
Author: William M. Reilly / From the International Desk / Published 8/1/2002 8:34 PM
Intro: A senior World Health Organization official said Thursday a U.N. meeting between health and law enforcement officials should reap health and financial benefits from a toughly worded treaty on tobacco control this autumn -- curtailed cigarette smuggling and smoking.
Two days of The International Conference on Illicit Tobacco Trade sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms concluding at U.N. headquarters saw widespread agreement that will enhance upcoming negotiations on a global tobacco-control treaty, said Dr. Derek Yach, Executive Director of the WHO's Cluster on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health.
"The problem of smuggling is important for both of us," he told reporters. "The first reason we are concerned is that smuggled cigarettes are cheap cigarettes and cheap cigarettes means more consumption among the young and the poor and that increases consumption markedly.
"Smuggled cigarettes evade health warnings, they evade (health) labeling, and very importantly they result in massive loss of revenues to governments," Yach said. "From the crime side they also contribute to money that is floating around a system and that can be used for criminal activity as well as for terrorists activities."
The meeting attended by representatives from 145 countries brought together public health professionals and law enforcement officials who traditionally have different agendas, Yach said, but fostered "a common sense of purpose of tackling tobacco control that will help us all."
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