Fighting the Globalization of Big Tobacco What Can We Do??

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Fighting the Globalization of Big
TobaccoWhat Can We Do??

• C.U.S. - Communities Under Siege-
• United Against The Globalization of Big Tobacco

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While Californias generalSmoking Prevalence
rate is 14

• African Americans smoking rate is the highest
• Males -- 21.4
• Females 17
• African Immigrant Populations
• East African males high smoking prevalence
• West African countries-Senegal, Mali, South
  Africans
• African Countries Prevalence Rising
  (especially youth and women)

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Smoking and Tobacco Related Diseases Kill 45,000
African Americans Every Year
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In the United States, smoking and tobacco related
deaths kill more African Americans than AIDS, car
accidents, violence and other non-tobacco related
cancersCOMBINED!!!
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As the United States implements tougher tobacco
control laws and regulations, the Tobacco
Industry is increasing aggressive targeting and
marketing to Africa.
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4 Million People Worldwide Die Each Year From
Tobacco Use
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By the year 2025, that number will climb to 10
million with 70 of those deaths occurring in
developing countries
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In the U.S. the Tobacco Industry pretends
they have changed and that they now want to be
good corporate citizens, but what they are
doing in the rest of the world shows nothing has
changed
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Marlboro Baby Clothes from Togo, West Africa
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Concert in Dakar, Senegal

• Excellence
• is a popular cigarette brand in Senegal

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Big Tobacco says it is bringing economic
development and jobs to Africa
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But the reality is- most tobacco growers
are sharecroppers existing as many African
Americans families did after slavery ended in the
U.S.
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In the U.S. they market their products to young
women using images of Africans
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Advertisement from Essence Magazine,
targeting with young
images African
of American their
women heritage.
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They link their deadly products to the
Kool hip hop generation
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While we are globally distracted by
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Priorities and Concerns

• African/American Priorities
• Economic Development
• Racism/Oppression
• Other Health Concerns
• Chronic Diseases
• AIDS
• Poverty
• Violence

• African Priorities
• Economic Development
• Post Colonialisation
• Other Health Concerns
• Tropical Diseases
• AIDS
• Poverty
• Political Instability/War

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Big Tobacco plots on us as their own secret
internal documents reveal

• They co-opt our leadership
• They conduct research on us
• They work to undermine laws that will protect us

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  African American leadership groups smoking
with the enemy V B Yerger, R E Malone . . . . . .
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tobacco
Control 200211336345 Background Among all
racial and ethnic groups in the USA, African
Americans bear the greatest burden from tobacco
related disease. The tobacco industry has been
highly influential in the African American
community for decades, providing funding and
other resources to community leaders
and emphasising publicly its support for civil
rights causes and groups, while ignoring the
negative health effects of its products on those
it claims to support. However, the industrys
private business reasons for providing such
support were unknown. Objective To understand
how and for what purposes the tobacco industry
sought to establish and maintain relationships
with African American leaders. Methods Review
and analysis of over 700 previously secret
internal tobacco industry documents available on
the internet. Results The tobacco industry
established relationships with virtually every
African American leadership organisation and
built longstanding social connections with the
community, for three specific business reasons
to increase African American tobacco use, to use
African Americans as a frontline force to defend
industry policy positions, and to defuse tobacco
control efforts. See end of article for
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R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. 1990Document
507381920/1939
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R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 1983 Black smokers
study Doc. 503392588/2620
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We Must Have A Global Response

• We cannot allow Transnational Tobacco companies
  to undermine the health and well being of
  developing countries
• We cannot allow precious resources to be diverted
  to pay for health care cost for smoking related
  illnesses
• We cannot allow good land to be used to grow
  tobacco instead of food

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What Can You DO?

• Join with CUS in signing our resolution in
  support of the FCTC
• Ask elected officials to make tobacco control a
  pressing issue
• Work to get organizations and elected officials
  to refuse tobacco industry contributions
• Support local, state, and national funding of
  local and global tobacco control issues (we cant
  afford not to)

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The Framework Convention for Tobacco Control
(FCTC) is a global tobacco treaty that was
adopted in May 2003 by the member countries of
the World Health Organization. The FCTC is the
first international health treaty of any kind,
and it sets a foundation that will help protect
the children of developing nations.
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The C.U.S. Project

• Will work with African American and
  African/Caribbean immigrant organizations to sign
  a voluntary resolution
• 1) denouncing the predatory activities of the
  Tobacco Industry in Africa,
• 2) demanding that the U.S. Master Settlement
  Agreement (MSA) standards be observed in
  international marketing efforts,
• 3) supporting ratification of the Framework
  Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and
• 4) denouncing the acceptance of Tobacco
  Industry sponsorship in the San Francisco Bay
  Area

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Join with the young people of Africa, help
them defend themselves!!!
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People of African descent must work locally and
globally to protect our people from the Big
Tobacco