Bloomberg criticizes Obama and USTR for not exempting tobacco from Trans-Pacific Partnership

[Bill Godshall]

In an op/ed in todays NY Times, NYC Mayor Bloomberg criticized Obama and the US Trade Representative for not exempting tobacco from Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/opinion/why-is-obama-caving-on-tobacco.html?


Some Asian news articles on this issue are at
Group wants tobacco excluded from TPPA - Nation | The Star Online
Cabinet to carve out tobacco from TPPA | Free Malaysia Today
Asia-Pacific NGO pushes exclusion of tobacco from TPP - InterAksyon.com


Criticism by US anti tobacco extremists about Obama’s USTR not conceding to their demands on Trans Pacific Partnership agreement are at
The U.S. Trade Representative just can't catch a break. Neither can the breathing public. | Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education
Obama goes to bat for Big Tobacco in the TPP, Says Action on... -- WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ion-this-century-obamas-trade-deal-will-help/

 

[aikanae1]

Thank you! I've been looking for some info on how the TPP would affect tobacco. I'm not going to have time to read it all, but I found the first post from Bloomberg interesting;

If the Obama administration’s policy reversal is allowed to stand, not only will cigarettes be cheaper for the 800 million people in the countries affected by the trade pact, but multinational tobacco corporations will be able to challenge those governments — including America’s — for implementing lifesaving public health policies. This would not only put our tobacco-control regulations in peril, but also create a chilling effect that would prevent further action, which is desperately needed.

They always seem to talk in a weird reverse language in these things, so it's nice to hear him explain it. It appears that dropping USTR exception's, in this case, is a very good thing in our case (vaping). Wow. And Obama's still in office.

I'll keep reading.

 

[2coils]

I'm sure Bloomberg's heart is in the right place but... As a man so interested in Public Health, can someone explain to him that destroying the e-cig business in his own city is a public health disaster!

 

[Grammie]

I'm sure Bloomberg's heart is in the right place but... As a man so interested in Public Health, can someone explain to him that destroying the e-cig business in his own city is a public health disaster!

Might work if there was a brain cell present

 

[aikanae1]

I'm sure Bloomberg's heart is in the right place but... As a man so interested in Public Health, can someone explain to him that destroying the e-cig business in his own city is a public health disaster!

One of the problems is that this is not about ecigs specifically, but it includes ecigs as a "tobacco product".

 

[Uma]

Well I'll be darned, good for Mr. President figuring a way to let us keep our safer alternative despite the ants/FDA. At least that's my take on it. He's also stopping antz from destroying companies they feel should be destroyed.

Why don't my thoughts flow smooth on this split keyboard?