[ti:Tobacco Forces Still Strong] [ar:Steve Ember] [al:HEALTH REPORT] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English HEALTH REPORT. [00:08.12]This month, the Australian High Court [00:10.92]ruled in support of a law [00:13.34]that bars tobacco companies [00:16.14]from putting their logos or colors [00:17.89]on cigarette packages. [00:21.93]The European Union is considering a similar ban [00:25.48]But a recent international study [00:29.52]showed that some countries do little [00:32.32]to control tobacco use. [00:35.37]It found that the tobacco industry [00:39.97]still has a strong influence on tobacco use [00:41.65]around the world. [00:46.56]Study organizers examined information about [00:50.42]three billion tobacco users worldwide. [00:54.13]They looked closely at tobacco use [00:58.67]in fourteen low- and middle-income countries. [01:01.85]They compared this information [01:05.52]with tobacco use in two developed countries ¨C [01:08.19]the United States and Britain. [01:12.73]Gary Giovino is with the University of Buffalo [01:17.40]School of Public Health and Professions in New York State. [01:21.44]He also was the lead researcher in the study. [01:23.80]GARY GIOVINO: "Tobacco contributes an enormous burden [01:25.80]to the health care system in developed countries, [01:27.97]and that scenario will play out [01:29.34]in the not-too-distant future [01:30.96]in low- and middle-income countries. [01:33.76]It already has in many countries -- in India, for example." [01:37.07]The study found that China has [01:40.18]three hundred million tobacco users -- [01:42.36]more than any other country. [01:44.85]India was second, [01:49.82]with almost two hundred seventy-five million tobacco users. [01:53.25]Dr. Giovino says the researchers [01:56.79]found powerful pro-tobacco forces [02:00.21]were active even in elementary schools. [02:02.39]GARY GIOVINO: "The China National Tobacco Company [02:05.07]has supported elementary schools in China ¨C [02:07.30]dozens and dozens of them. [02:10.29]And they use their support to [02:12.40]promote propaganda about tobacco use, [02:15.52]and they are basically telling students that [02:19.06]genius comes from hard work [02:21.86]and tobacco helps them to be successful. [02:25.34]That to me is mind-boggling, [02:30.45]that a government would tell its children to use tobacco [02:33.99]to be successful when tobacco will addict them [02:35.67]and shorten their lives." [02:39.90]The study showed that governments and social traditions [02:43.45]in many countries are open to influence [02:46.12]from pro-tobacco forces. [02:49.54]So the Australian court decision [02:53.46]is considered important in supporting those [02:56.51]fighting to control tobacco use. [03:01.05]Jonathan Lieberman directs the McCabe Centre [03:03.91]for Law and Cancer in Australia. [03:05.28]JONATHAN LIEBERMAN: "It shows [03:08.26]to everybody that the only way to deal with [03:10.06]the tobacco industry's claims, [03:14.04]sabre rattling, legal threats, is to stare them down [03:16.16]in court. It's a fantastic decision [03:18.77]for public health in Australia and globally." [03:20.70]The study found that, [03:23.60]unless urgent action is taken, [03:28.26]about a billion people will die early in this century [03:31.19]as a result of tobacco use. [03:34.98]On average, each of them will lose [03:37.72]fifteen years of life. [03:43.13]And that's the VOA Special English HEALTH REPORT. [03:47.36]You can find a link to the tobacco study ¨C [03:51.22]and a video of Dr. Giovino explaining it ¨C [03:57.13]on our website, voa.com. I'm Steve Ember.