WHO plan for global tobacco control contested by US

A plan seeded in 1996 by the World Health Organization for an international agreement, [Framework Convention on Tobacco Control] [link defunct]," is undergoing final discussions by member states before submission to the World Health Assembly in May. The plan outlines a global regulatory system aimed at controlling the tobacco pandemic, which, if no action is taken, is expected to claim an estimated 10 million lives by the late 2020s. More than 70% of these deaths are predicted to occur in developing countries. According to UCSF School of Pharmacy researcher Lisa Bero, PhD, countries opposing the current plan language are those with strong support from the tobacco industry, including the United States. For more information, see WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and San Francisco Bay Guardian, "[Up in Smoke][link defunct as of May 30, 2012]," February 12, 2003.