Historically, the U.S. government has acted as a partner with U.S. tobacco companies to promote tobacco industry interests worldwide. Under prior administrations, U.S. government officials:

• Opposed tobacco control laws in other countries, including cigarette advertising restrictions, vending machine bans, ingredient disclosure requirements and bans on free cigarette give-aways;
• Threatened massive trade retaliation against developing nations to force them to allow U.S. cigarettes and cigarette advertising in their countries;
• Refused to consult with government health experts in their deliberations, relying instead on health information supplied by the tobacco industry;
• Promoted U.S. tobacco products and allowed tobacco company sponsorship of official U.S. Embassy events.

Tobacco Policy Legislation Would Resolve this Issue

There is now broad agreement that any national tobacco policy must forbid these activities in the future and require that public health considerations be given precedence over tobacco industry interests in U.S. government policy.

US legislation should prohibit government agencies from opposing tobacco control policies in other nations unless health policy experts at the Department of Health and Human Services first determine that the policy in dispute is not a reasonable protection of human health.

Such a legislative approach would accomplish its health goals without going too far:

• It would not affect routine U.S. government functions such as issuing visas, assisting with customs problems, or providing general information to U.S. tobacco companies.
• It would not prevent the U.S. government from taking action against countries that discriminate against U.S. tobacco companies by imposing arbitrary and unjustifiable restrictions that do not protect public health.

This provision ensures that health considerations are given precedence over tobacco industry interests, and places responsibility for evaluating public health issues with the Department of Health and Human Services, which is the only appropriate federal agency. It should be a part of any responsible national tobacco control policy.