Message from the University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
Congratulations on the launch of the South Asian Regional Consortium Centre for Combating Tobacco at the Centre for Combating Tobacco. The tobacco companies are aggressively working all over the world to block development and implementation of tobacco control policy, especially legislation and policy to implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The fact that the tobacco companies are rich and unethical makes them daunting opponents. The companies are, however, not very creative and tend to use the same arguments and tactics everywhere, with only minor adjustments to account for local circumstances. By monitoring, evaluating, and publicizing industry activities across national boundaries, the Centre will empower national policymakers and public health advocates to anticipate and counter industry actions to protect their profits and, instead, promote policies to enhance public health.
Stanton A. Glantz, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Director, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA USA