Tobacco and trade: Why all the commotion?

Trade agreements reduce barriers, increase competition, lower prices and promote consumption. In the case of tobacco, this results in deleterious health consequences. Conversely, tobacco control measures seek to reduce access and consumption, raise prices and restrict advertising and promotion in order to reduce health and social problems. However, provisions of current and pending international agreements that are negotiated by trade experts without public health input provide the means for governments and corporations to challenge these protections as unreasonable constraints on trade. Advocates urge APHA to adopt policy that recognizes the inherent conflicts between free trade and tobacco control and to advocate for exclusion of tobacco from trade agreements.