Anti-tobacco treaty begins

(from: WWW. Breakingnewsenglish.com)

The world's first anti-tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, went into effect yesterday with 167 countries signed up to it and 57 countries ratifying it. The United States and China are still yet to ratify it, which raises fears the overall effectiveness of the treaty may be weakened. Ratifying it means the Framework is legally binding and countries must follow strict regulations for tobacco products, including banning advertising and controlling smoking in public places. It is hoped that the treaty will greatly reduce the number of deaths from smoking worldwide. Adults will be persuaded to kick the habit and children will be dissuaded from starting it. The World Health Organization believes smoking accounts for five million deaths a year. It is the second leading cause of preventable deaths.

The WHO's coordinator of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Douglas Bettcher, says the treaty could do much to reduce global passion for smoking, "It is an historical moment and we are very confident that this treaty is going to save lives.... It has already started off a powerful process globally and we are very confident that it is going to continue to do so and it is going to prove itself as a very effective public health tool to really curb this unacceptable burden of disease and death."