Fighting the Globalization of Big Tobacco What Can We Do??

Fighting the Globalization of Big TobaccoWhat Can We Do?? C.U.S. - Communities Under Siege- United Against The Globalization of Big Tobacco

While California’s “general”Smoking Prevalence rate is 14%… • African Americans smoking rate is the highest • Males -- 21.4% • Females – 17% • African Immigrant Populations • East African males high smoking prevalence • West African countries-Senegal, Mali, South Africans • African Countries Prevalence Rising (especially youth and women) www.cus-united.org

Smoking and Tobacco Related Diseases Kill 45,000 African Americans Every Year www.cus-united.org

In the United States, smoking and tobacco related deaths kill more African Americans than AIDS, car accidents, violence and other non-tobacco related cancersCOMBINED!!! www.cus-united.org

As the United States implements tougher tobacco control laws and regulations, the Tobacco Industry is increasing aggressive targeting and marketing to Africa. www.cus-united.org

4 Million People Worldwide Die Each Year From Tobacco Use www.cus-united.org

By the year 2025, that number will climb to 10 million with 70% of those deaths occurring in developing countries www.cus-united.org

In the U.S. the Tobacco Industry pretends they have changed and that they now want to be good “corporate citizens”, but what they are doing in the rest of the world shows nothing has changed… www.cus-united.org

Marlboro Baby Clothes from Togo, West Africa www.cus-united.org

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Concert in Dakar, Senegal • Excellence • is a popular cigarette brand in Senegal www.cus-united.org

Big Tobacco says it is bringing economic development and jobs to Africa

But the reality is- most tobacco growers are “sharecroppers” existing as many African Americans families did after slavery ended in the U.S. www.cus-united.org

In the U.S. they market their products to young women using images of Africans www.cus-united.org

Advertisement from Essence Magazine, targeting with young images African of American their women heritage. www.cus-united.org

They link their deadly products to the “Kool” hip hop generation www.cus-united.org

While we are “globally distracted by… www.cus-united.org

African/American Priorities Economic Development Racism/Oppression Other Health Concerns Chronic Diseases AIDS Poverty Violence African Priorities Economic Development Post Colonialisation Other Health Concerns Tropical Diseases AIDS Poverty Political Instability/War Priorities and Concerns www.cus-united.org

Big Tobacco plots on us as their own secret internal documents reveal… • They co-opt our leadership • They conduct research on us • They work to undermine laws that will protect us www.cus-united.org

African American leadership groups: smoking with the • enemy • V B Yerger, R E Malone • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • Tobacco Control 2002;11:336–345 • Background: Among all racial and ethnic groups in the USA, African Americans bear the greatest • burden from tobacco related disease. The tobacco industry has been highly influential in the African • American community for decades, providing funding and other resources to community leaders and • emphasising publicly its support for civil rights causes and groups, while ignoring the negative health • effects of its products on those it claims to support. However, the industry’s private business reasons for • providing such support were unknown. • Objective: To understand how and for what purposes the tobacco industry sought to establish and • maintain relationships with African American leaders. • Methods: Review and analysis of over 700 previously secret internal tobacco industry documents • available on the internet. • Results: The tobacco industry established relationships with virtually every African American • leadership organisation and built longstanding social connections with the community, for three • specific business reasons: to increase African American tobacco use, to use African Americans as a • frontline force to defend industry policy positions, and to defuse tobacco control efforts. • See end of article for www.cus-united.org

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. 1990Document # 507381920/1939 www.cus-united.org

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 1983 Black smokers study: Doc. # 503392588/2620 www.cus-united.org

We Must Have A Global Response • We cannot allow Transnational Tobacco companies to undermine the health and well being of developing countries • We cannot allow precious resources to be diverted to pay for health care cost for smoking related illnesses • We cannot allow good land to be used to grow tobacco instead of food www.cus-united.org

What Can You DO? • Join with CUS in signing our resolution in support of the FCTC • Ask elected officials to make tobacco control a “pressing issue” • Work to get organizations and elected officials to refuse tobacco industry contributions • Support local, state, and national funding of local and global tobacco control issues (we can’t afford not to) www.cus-united.org

The Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a global tobacco treaty that was adopted in May 2003 by the member countries of the World Health Organization. The FCTC is the first international health treaty of any kind, and it sets a foundation that will help protect the children of developing nations. www.cus-united.org

The C.U.S. Project Will work with African American and African/Caribbean immigrant organizations to sign a voluntary resolution 1) denouncing the predatory activities of the Tobacco Industry in Africa, 2) demanding that the U.S. Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) standards be observed in international marketing efforts, 3) supporting ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and 4) denouncing the acceptance of Tobacco Industry sponsorship in the San Francisco Bay Area

Join with the young people of Africa, help them defend themselves!!! www.cus-united.org

People of African descent must work locally and globally to protect our people from the Big Tobacco www.cus-united.org

Fighting the Globalization of Big Tobacco What Can We Do??