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.

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.

n 1999, tobacco-related disease accounted for 48.5% of all deaths in Cambodia. Tobacco promotion is still allowed, cigarettes are cheap and warnings on packages are very small. This grant will support the development of a proposal for a national tobacco control project. The project will focus, in particular, on the issue of tobacco advertising and promotion, and public opinion regarding smoke-free areas and an advertising ban.

n 1999, tobacco-related disease accounted for 48.5% of all deaths in Cambodia. Tobacco promotion is still allowed, cigarettes are cheap and warnings on packages are very small. This grant will support the development of a proposal for a national tobacco control project. The project will focus, in particular, on the issue of tobacco advertising and promotion, and public opinion regarding smoke-free areas and an advertising ban.

As a public service to help victims of  the tobacco industry learn whether they can bring a potential law suit, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a 36-year old national legal-action charitable organization entirely supported by tax-deductible contributions, has compiled a list of most of the attorneys in this country involved in law suits against big tobacco.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has fought for harsher measures against tobacco companies, added, in a prepared statement, "Today's report by the American Lung Association provides a stark reminder of the federal government's failure to reduce youth smoking, regulate tobacco products, or generate funds for tobacco cessation programs. The federal government deserves this failing grade."The report did find that state and local governments have done a better job, although that record remains mixed.Six states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts and New York) now ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, however, received an F for smoke-free air.

Cady's Grill, a popular restaurant in Ypsilanti's Depot Town, went smoke-free less than a month ago. "It first started when I would be seating a table on a busy night and they would say they wanted to be as far away from the smoking section as possible,'' Rob Troyer, general manager for Cady's, told The News.

Tobacco Advertising Treaty Could Bring Big Changes in Cambodia

Among other features, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control would require countries to regulate tobacco advertising, forbid its sale to children, raise taxes on tobacco to keep it out of children's hands and require warning labels on tobacco products. The 191 members of the World Health Organization, which drafted the treaty, are expected to ratify it by May 2003, officials say. The question of advertising has been the hottest item of the framework, especially here in Cambodia, and it has reopened an old debate on whether or not smoking has a place in society.

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Garment, timber, tobacco, agro-industry and tourism are the fastest growing businesses in Cambodia.  There are two hundred factories producing for the American and European markets. British American Tobacco has been developing a cigarette brand for the Cambodians and is growing tobacco leaves for export.