Every day we are presented with opportunities to make a difference in the lives of those who suffer.  Sometimes it is as simple as a smile and a kind word, but sometimes it is more. Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG and the Center for Tobacco Free Kids present us with an opportunity to make a real difference by asking the Obama Administration to send the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) to Congress for ratification.

Tobacco use (mainly smoking) kills 5.4 million people in the world each year. If this trend continues nearly ONE BILLION people will die from tobacco in this century.  The FCTC is a comprehensive treaty that binds nations to take specific actions to reduce disease and death caused by tobacco use. As of today, 168 nations have ratified the treaty....but the US is not one of them. Only 13 other countries have not ratified the treaty. In failing to do so we are in the company of other tobacco growing countries like Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Mozambique to name a few.

The FCTC went into force more than 5 years ago and why we have not ratified the treaty is a good question, but not terribly hard to answer. The most likely answer is that the US is the 4th largest tobacco producer in the world, behind China, India, and Brazil. It is a huge business with immense profits. In the 2008 election alone Big Tobacco donated over $2 million to federal candidates, while donations to state elections and political parties in 2005 – 2006 were over $8 million. This money goes to Democrats and Republicans alike.

Now you have a chance to send a message to the Obama Administration to send this treaty to Congress for ratification. This will not be a popular move to many in Congress since Big Tobacco helped to put many of them in office. It is likely it will be met with political rhetoric about recession, jobs, more taxes, and how it will put tobacco farmers out of business. We have heard it all before. They seem to forget that over 400,000 Americans die every year from smoking related diseases.  That smoking remains the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the US.

Article 14 of the Framework Treaty calls for countries to make significant efforts to reduce tobacco use by providing tobacco users with help to quit. It is indeed tragic that in the year 2010 the US does not have a National strategy to help smokers quit. While every state has a tobacco telephone quit line, with very few exceptions most are terribly underfunded and are not providing optimal services. Less than 3% of the Master Settle Agreement ($206 billion) went to reduce tobacco use. Much of it was simply moved in the state coffers and used to fill holes in their budgets. Perhaps we will end up with renewed federal efforts to reduce smoking prevalence if we ratify this important treaty.

The US Public Health Service lists tobacco use as a chronic illness. Many tobacco users need help to quit this deadly addiction. By sending a message to the President maybe we can help reduce the disease and death caused by tobacco use. Lance Armstrong’s group, Change.org, will take action on the 10 top petitions. Make ratification of the FCTC one of them. Click here to make a difference.