Smoking may be the world’s greatest global health threat. It kills nearly 6 million people a year around the world — more than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. The United States has done an admirable job of combating this threat within its own borders. But Washington has done embarrassingly little to address the problem overseas.
The US government spends about $8 billion on global health annually, but only about $7 million on tobacco-control efforts overseas, according to Thomas Bollyky of the Council on Foreign Relations. That’s a tiny amount, given the gravity of the problem and the cost-effectiveness of anti-smoking campaigns.
Comments
America is broke if you haven't noticed, 7 million is too much to spend in another country.
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Even if we did have the money, more important is the fact that this is one more treaty that puts the U.N. in charge or our laws and takes away our sovereignity.
Did you actually do any research on this treaty before you wrote this article?
Under Article 4 (1)(b), ratifying states pledge to “take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities,” and under 4 (1)(d), to “refrain from engaging in any act or practice that is inconsistent” with the convention. Who gets to define whether an existing law, regulation, custom, or practice “constitute[s] discrimination against” the deaf, blind, epileptic, diabetic, or paraplegic?
Interestingly, it also would cover the structuring of our Social Security benefits. Nice. And you think it would be a good idea for these things to be controlled by a TREATY, and supervised by non US citizens?
What is the deal lately with people wanting somone who does not pay taxes in this country having the ability to order US citizens around? Or do you just like the pretty powder blue UN helmets?
Liberals would let the UN run this country if that had the choice..........
"But Washington has done embarrassingly little to address the problem overseas."
Excuse me? Are we paying taxes to fix all the problems in the world? Silly me, I thought we elected our government to run our country, not take care of the whole darned world!!!!
Given the staggering US deficit it's stupid to spend US tax dollars overseas on an anti-smoking platform. Furthmore I find it incredibly hypocritical of the Globe to rail about the "world's greatest global health threat" yet endorse the smoking of marijuana for "medical" purposes. True there are those whose afflictions benefit from the chemical components of pot, but those benefits can be obtained in pill form. Instead, decriminalizing marijuana smoking encourages people, especially younger adults, to toke up. Hey, it's legal so why not?? What about the health impact of marijuana smoking? What about the human cost in terms of addiction? Yet the US needs to throw more money at tobacco control overseas?? What a load of bs.
If citizens of other countries want to smoke, that's their choice. If other countries, actually tribes, want to fight each other for millenia, that's their religion at work. I'm for more isolation, NOT more control of other people.