August 26, 2013

Stanton A. Glantz, PhD

Malaysia tables proposal for a tobacco carveout in the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement: Good for them!

A little over a week after the Obama Administration caved to pressure from the tobacco industry and dropped the idea of its already tepid efforts to prevent the tobacco companies from turning the pending Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement into another tool to fight public health regulations, Malaysia has proposed a "carve out" for tobacco to protect tobacco control regulations.

Public health advocates here in the US should continue to pressure President Obama to accept Malaysia's proposal.  More important, advocates in Australia, which is already fighting industry challenges to its plain packaging and New Zealand, whose government has committed to implementing plain packaging, need to press their governments to back Malaysia's proposal.

This is another important example of a small country standing up to Big Tobacco while America quakes in its boots. 

Comments

Comment: 

The Malaysian Chief Negotiator has issued a statement on TPP progress, and has confirmed that Malaysia has proposed to exclude tobacco control measures from TPP for public health purposes.&nbsp; Detailshttp://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=973399" target="_blank"; here.<strong; </strong;
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