Updated status of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

NOTE: The WHO FCTC is currently deposited at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Treaty remains open for ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation and accession indefinitely for States wishing to become parties to it.

Entry into force:

27 February 2005, in accordance with article 36 which reads as follows: "1. This Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation or accession with the Depositary. 2. For each State that ratifies, accepts or approves the Convention or accedes thereto after the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of this Article for entry into force have been fulfilled, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. 3. For each regional economic integration organization depositing an instrument of formal confirmation or an instrument of accession after the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of this Article for entry into force have been fulfilled, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of its depositing of the instrument of formal confirmation or of accession. 4. For the purposes of this Article, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by States Members of the organization."

It a prohibition of tobacco a good idea? For example a prohibition of all products with tobacco, like the alcohol prohibition in the United States (ca. 1930)

How about letting adults have the freedom to make their own choices? Unless you want otherwise law-abiding people to have to face gang violence when going to get their nicotine drug! You empty-headed do-gooder self-righteous know-it-all liberals are beginning to sicken me! If you don't like my cigarette smoke, don't come to my house, stay out of those disgusting saloons where people go to enjoy killing their brain cells & liver cells & lung cells, and stay away from me as I'm trying to go outside ... as far awy as possible from people like you ... to light up! Talk about the death of common sense!

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Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship/Marketing, City University, 1993

I don't think the person who started this thread was necessarily advocating a ban on tobacco products. Regardless, I'm opposed to such a ban because, first, tobacco products don't impair judgment, so they are none of the government's business in most circumstances and, second, such a prohibition would be no more effective than the prohibition on alcohol was and would merely be a victory for organized crime.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Tobacco prohibition would never work. I'm not so much against banning smoking in public (I think businesses will start doing this long before government ever does), since it is actually a logic more similar to banning drunk driving than banning alcohol. Smoking in public has effects on people who share the air. People who don't smoke are becoming more conscious of this. The great part is that more and more businesses will begin to make rules against smoking in order to appease the more and more people who would rather not share in the cancerous habits of zombie addicts.
And I'm sure there will still be no end to the complaining from addicts when they can't smoke in 90% of resturaunts due to the forces of the market. After all smokers think they're entitled to unlimited breaks at work. I hope to see more non-smoking managers in the future to put them in their place.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

Why not let the public decide. In my city we had a plebliscite on banning smoking in public places and close to 90% of people were for it. The city council then passed a smoking bi-law. Do whatever you want in your own home, but the effects of second-hand smoke is quite clear and it should not be present in public areas.

Cigarettes should be banned because of their negative impact on peoples health, but they won't be as so many people still use them. As cigarettes become less popular, a ban would be more practical, to prevent any further use of this harmful product.

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"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives." — John Stuart Mill

Why not just make wildbore dictator of Canada and the United States? He seems to know everything! Of course, what would the rest of the world do without his infinite wisdom?

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Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship/Marketing, City University, 1993