Tobacco kills more than 6 million people worldwide every year and could kill 1 billion people this century unless trends are reversed.
This troubling fact is made even more disturbing by reports that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is engaged in a worldwide campaign to block anti-smoking laws.
The New York Times reports the Chamber has fought cigarette taxes in the Philippines, graphic health warnings on packaging in Jamaica and bans on smoking in public places in Moldova.
Yes, tobacco is a business and the Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest trade group. But there are limits to what it should defend, especially when many members of the Chamber are health care organizations involved in smoking cessation programs.
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