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Statement in support of H.R. 5689, the Smuggled Tobacco Prevention (STOP) Act Kathy Mulvey, International Policy Director, Corporate Accountability International For Immediate Release: May 1, 2008 Contacts: Kathy Mulvey, 202-742-5856 Corporate Accountability International and our members stand resolutely behind Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX) and more than 100 co-sponsors in supporting H.R. 5689, which contains new and stronger requirements on labeling, tracking and reporting by the tobacco industry. Once a leader in tobacco control, the United States has fallen out of step with the international community by failing to ratify the global tobacco treaty, formally known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). President Bush signed the treaty in 2004, but has yet to submit it to the Senate for ratification. The U.S. therefore lacks protections against the illicit tobacco trade, a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and measures to protect health policy from tobacco industry interference—all of which are included in the treaty. The STOP Act is an essential stop gap until the U.S. joins more than 150 countries that have ratified the global tobacco treaty and are negotiating a protocol specifically designed to combat the illicit tobacco trade. According to the Framework Convention Alliance, the illicit trade represents approximately 10 percent of global tobacco sales, and costs governments between U.S. $40 and $50 billion annually in lost revenue. There is widespread evidence that tobacco transnationals like Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco (JT) have benefited from—and even been complicit in—tobacco smuggling. Until last month, Philip Morris International was a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Altria Group, Inc. The introduction of H.R. 5689 comes on the heels of a sweeping report by the World Health Organization on this preventable epidemic that claims 5.4 million lives each year. And even in the face of the report's dire findings, Big Tobacco continues to undermine necessary advances in health policy in the U.S. and around the world. Tobacco giants claim to be committed to fighting smuggling, and have even sought a seat at the table with governments aiming to tackle the problem. But we are concerned about the fundamental conflict of interest between the tobacco industry and public health. Big Tobacco is making tremendous profits at a huge cost to people’s health and public coffers. This week, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary Committee has a new opportunity to protect people from tobacco industry abuses by supporting the STOP Act. ### Click here to read Rep. Doggett's press release on the STOP Act.
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