Group items tagged

To start, we need to define the problem, the solution(s), and the audience we wish to reach. 1 While the overall problem is tobacco use, we can identify more specific problems: cigarette advertising, low taxes on tobacco products, lack of knowledge about tobacco products (and only vague warnings written in small print on the side of cigarette packs). The solutions would then be a ban on cigarette ads, higher taxes on all tobacco products, and better warnings. The audience we need to reach is the policymakers who can push for those changes. In addition, we may want to reach the general public, so that they will support the laws—and thus increase the chance that they are passed. Once the problem, solution, and audience are clear, we can begin to identify our media strategy. As our goal is not only to illustrate the problem, but also to point out the solution, we need to be sure that our message includes both. When planning activities suggested in the A to (almost) Z list, remember to include not only why we’re angry or what we are protesting, but also what we want the government to do. We will know how well we are succeeding when we gather the news coverage (see Appendix 5, How to Monitor the Media). We are interested not only in the quantity, but also the quality, of the news coverage. If the solution to the problem is not being mentioned, we need to work to increase attention to our recommendations. As we progress with our work, we can revise our sense of the problems and solutions, and thus rework our media strategy.

Suggest policy solutions to the concerns the public has highlighted when you discuss the opinion poll with journalists, such as banning tobacco advertising, higher taxes on tobacco,

We have the science to convince. We know that higher excise taxes make economic sense in addition to reduce smoking, in particular among the young and the poor. We know that smuggling is a problem that must be dealt with independently of the price issue. And we know that in the long term, government divestment of tobacco holdings is responsible policy - both economically and health-wise.

n October, Member States will begin the negotiations on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This will be the first time that the public health community has led treaty negotiations. The process we set in motion has already fostered a global debate and pushed countries as well as tobacco companies to think about their actions from a public health perspective. The success of the FCTC will depend on our ability to link compelling data to robust decisions.

Many countries in this Region have shown a strong and active support for the work towards a Framework Convention. I appreciate this and count on you to continue this support so that the FCTC can become a strong and effective tool for tobacco control.

Holy Smoke Cambodians Fight Tobacco

Buddhist monks are now spearheading the campaign to persuade Cambodians to give up tobacco -- a tough assignment in a country with one of the highest rates of smoking in the world and life expectancy of only fifty-four years.

The armed forces located throughout the country, and particularly the Military Police, could play an impor- tant role in dealing with drug production and traffick- ing. Many observers, however, feel that the military forces are presently more a part of the drug trafficking problem than its solution. Corrupt practices are, of course, not the special reserve of the military and the phenomena also severelyundermines other critical links in the fight against illegal drugs, especially law enforce- ment and judicial systems. Extremely low salaries,often below subsistence levels, force many individuals to seek alternative sources of income, both legal and illegal.

Vietnamese and Cambodian police should open liaison offices in border provinces, establish hotlines, and organize more meetings on the issue. They should receive further foreign language training to fight against cross-border drug trafficking more effectively, he said.