By Sujata Dand
Dallas, TX –
(Natural sound)
Sujata Dand, Reporter: The stone streets of the Plaka are closed off to traffic - perfect for tourists and locals who fill the cafes in the oldest part of Athens. The smell of cigarette smoke clouds the air stifling the sweet aroma of hot cocoa and frothy cappuccinos. Greece has the highest prevalence of smokers in Europe
Thea Emmerling, Deputy Director, European Union 650 thousand Europeans die every year on the consequences of smoking, and its one of the major causes of death in the world.
Dand: Thea Emmerling is the Deputy Director for Health and Consumer Protection for the European Union. She is leading the campaign to push European nations to adopt stricter tobacco control measures. Greece and more than 140 other countries have ratified the first international public health accord that bans tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, requires very large health warnings on tobacco packages, and prohibits smoking in all indoor public places.
Emmerling: People are generally reacting positively to it, and now for example with smoke free environments - you can see that national administrations are passing laws and they get it through their national parliaments and people are very much supporting tobacco controlled measures.
Dand: When Professor Paulette Kurtzer from Arizona State University began her research most of the countries in the European Union refused to consider tobacco control. But in 5 years time, she says the work of non-governmental organizations have raised awareness of the hazards of smoking pressuring governments to take action. Most have fully embraced it.
Paulette Kurtzer, Tobacco Policy Expert: I would say that based on opinion polls the Europeans were less cognizant, less fully consciously aware of the health consequence of smoking . Once they find smoking a pure annoyance then here is a lot more support for smoke free barks and work places and public transportation.
Dand: The United States was about 20 years ahead of Europe, but the reason for the decline in smoking here had to do with interventions of the courts rather than government.
Kurtzer: In the United States an incredible amount of public health is actually determined by the courts. I would say that the war against tobacco was won by lawyers and litigation. The federal government was radically opposed.
Dand: The Bush administration signed the international health treaty in 2004, but has never sent it to the Senate to be ratified. Still, most states have adopted anti-tobacco policies, and Congress is considering legislation to give more power to the federal government to regulate the tobacco industry. But, Kurzer believes the United States' interest in global health is at odds with economic/free trade business.
Kurtzer: You have an administration-- this was even true for the Clinton administration that speaks two languages. Part of the administration is focused on public health will be a big promoter of tobacco control both domestically and internationally, but then that section of the administration that speaks for international trade and is in touch with business lobbies will at the very same time go to those governments like in China asking them to open their markets to American cigarettes and to basically not to impose curbs on smoking.
(Natural sound: I love Lucy ad promoting Philip Morris)
Dand: Back when Lucille Ball touted cigarettes for Phillip Morris, the number of smokers in the United States topped 50%. Today, less than 1 in 4 Americans smokes. And, with smoking rates on the decline in Europe, health policy experts say the largest American cigarette companies are focused on developing countries where smoking rates have been growing at 3 and a half percent a year. China - now- has the largest number of smoking-related deaths in the world.
Kurtzer: I think American companies are targeting Asian women and want to sell more sophisticated lighter cleaner cigarettes to a whole segment of the population that in those patriarchal less liberated societies women do not smoke. But those women are now entering the labor force, become educated, they become upwardly mobile, and they are seeking status symbols associated with western culture and they will see Marlboro, Phillip Morris cigarettes, as a symbol signifying that they are educated, worldly, and sophisticated and that they are part of a larger global culture.
Dand: Two years ago, Philip Morris, a unit of Altria Group Inc. announced a joint venture to produce Marlboro cigarettes with state-owned China National Tobacco Corp. Together, they sell about 1.8 trillion cigarettes annually. Philip Morris has also bought out tobacco companies in Serbia, Ecuador, Indonesia. In 2005, international tobacco sales represented 45% of the operating income for the parent company of Philip Morris. In a written statement, the Altria Group said we continue to support strong, effective regulation of tobacco products globally.
(nat sound - people)
Dand: By the year 2020, the World Health Organization projects tobacco-related deaths will claim more than 10 million lives with the majority of those deaths happening in low to middle income nations. But, the WHO believes their treaty will help promote debate in developing nations and hopes the increased dialogue and attention on the health effects of smoking will catalyze changes like in Europe.
For KERA-90.1, I'm Sujata Dand.
Read and listen to the rest of Sujata Dand's immigration series:
A View from the Other Side: The US and Europe
A View from the Other Side: Immigration in Denmark
A View from the Other Side: Philanthropy in Europe
A View from the Other Side: Smoking in Europe
For more information, go to these Web sites:
GMF: The German Marshall Fund of the United States
ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy) article