Tobacco industry 'at odds' with public health..

July 15, 2008 - Irish MEP (member European Parliament) Avril Doyle has voiced concern about tobacco companies increasingly “peddling their trade” outside EU member states. Speaking at a news conference in parliament on Tuesday, 7/14/2008, she also called for “complete transparency” by public figures, including MEPs, on any “donations” they receive from the tobacco industry. She said the industry was a “potent enemy” for those who seek to support a smoke-free environment and should be excluded from influencing public health policies. “Increasingly, we are seeing those involved in the industry move from the west to what might be called weaker democracies, in trying to compensate for falling tobacco sales in places like EU countries,” she said. “Despite this, the message we should be sending to the industry is that the days of peddling their trade are over. EU Health Commissioner
Androulla Vassiliou commented, “We have to protect public health policies from commercial and vested interests, regardless of the actions of the tobacco industry. David Byrne, former EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection: "While in office, I refused to meet the tobacco industry because any such meetings tend to legitimize the activities of the tobacco industry, which manufactures and sells the only consumer product that kills half of its consumers." Reference: Tobacco industry 'at odds' with public health by Martin Banks, Parliament.com, 7/15/2008.

Meanwhile in the states we find the long awaited federal tobacco legislation being considered represents the results of a negotiation between the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Philip Morris (PM). We worry that the legislation will be flawed because the biggest player in the tobacco industry - Altria - Philip Morris USA (PM) has been directly involved in writing the bill. PM is already preparing to manipulate the system for their own benefit.

Click on image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org)