Tobacco Marketing

Health experts from throughout the world are meeting in the U.S. to ..... the tobacco industry's marketing efforts in developing countries, Reuters reported August 5th.

"We're bringing the world's tobacco-control community together in one place to see how can we ..... this tide of export, promotion and production by the tobacco industry," said Dr. Thomas Houston of the American Medical Association.

The tobacco industry views developing countries as an ..... market, which causes concern among health officials.

The World Health Organization estimates that 70 percent of deaths caused by smoking-related illnesses will take place in the developing world, mainly because people in those countries may be unaware of the dangers ..... by smoking.

"It will be a huge tragedy for developing countries and will ..... their health-care systems," Houston said.

WHO officials noted that the tobacco industry is dealing with legal ..... in the U.S. by marketing their products worldwide.

In addition, the tobacco industry is working towards ..... developing countries from levying taxes on cigarettes or enacting western-style laws that ban smoking in office buildings and other public places.

"Most people in the developing world believe cancer is a communicable disease," Houston said, "The warnings are ..... and not particularly clear."

"The companies have found loopholes in the law, and we have not ..... them," said H.J. Sallehudin, an assistant director of Malaysia's Department of Public Health, which enforces Malaysia's tobacco ad bans.

An international tobacco-control treaty sponsored by the United Nations is aimed at ..... the increase in tobacco-related deaths worldwide.