COP8 News
FCTC Official attacks the host country for COP8, and questions are asked in the UK parliament about the conference and how it might impact vaping here at home.
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by Dave Cross
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The FCTC treaty is a global treaty on tobacco control, and is discussed by the 181 countries that have ratified it at the annual COP. This year is the eight COP – COP8 – and will be held from the 1-6 October in Switzerland, one of the few countries not to have ratified the framework.
Countries are being urged to classify vaping as a tobacco product, to strictly regulate it (including bans on where you can vape), and to put a higher level of tax on devices and eliquids.
“I think this is more of a shame than a problem that Switzerland is not party to the treaty, as this is all about protecting the public health of the population,” daCosta said. She went on to add that “there is not sufficient political will in Switzerland to apply all measures in the treaty,” because of the influence of the resident tobacco industry.
Maybe she didn’t mean for reporters to take away the impression she was calling the host nation of COP8 “shameful”, but that is what made it into print – and someone in her position ought to be more selective in her choice of words.
Clive Bates, harm reduction advocate was swift to condemn her: “Astonishing arrogance and naivety from the FCTC and Vera daCosta - an unelected civil servant criticising and campaigning against a national government - in this case, their host Switzerland - for the Swiss impudence of not ratifying the WHO FCTC.”
“She heads the secretariat to the FCTC. This body serves the conference of the parties. Unless she has a mandate to attack non-parties in public she should practice diplomacy 101 and button it. Hopefully, [the FCTC] will get behind her and she'll soon be declared persona-non-grata.”
Parliament
Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, posed questions to the under-secretary for health and social care. He wanted to know how the “proposal for a worldwide ban on advertising, promoting and sponsoring e-cigarettes” would impact the current situation for vaping in the UK.
He also asked “what representations he has received on his Department's participation in” COP8 and what the department for health and social care’s priorities were when attending.
Steven Brine responded: “The WHO FCTC is not proposing a worldwide ban on advertising, promoting and sponsoring of e-cigarettes. The Government supports proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes to ensure non-smokers and children are protected from accessing these products, and has implemented the European Union Tobacco Products Directive which ensures such proportionate regulation.”
“As a global leader on tobacco control, the Department will engage constructively at the COP8, working closely with fellow members of the European Union and with other partners to continue to support measures proposed to reduce global harms from tobacco and ensure WHO FCTC Secretariat work proposals offer value for money.”
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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