How will the deal affect tobacco companies internationally?
According to Dr. Stanton Glantz, University of California, San Francisco, the tobacco industry is willing to enter a deal with the United States public health forces so it can remove financial uncertainties and clear the way for international expansion. He points out that the companies fastest growing profitable market is in Asia and eastern Europe. The National Cancer Policy board has described this as a “foreign policy time bomb”. Furthermore, government warnings would not have to be displayed on cigarettes sold outside the United State and any FDA requirements about advertising, ingredient disclosure or nicotine levels will only apply to the United States. Glantz’s research concludes that the tobacco deal would result in increased international tobacco sales, and it will encourage American tobacco companies to establish overseas corporations.
