Blog 11: 135 countries agree to anti-tobacco trafficking deal

People representing 135 nations came together today to close a global deal that would somewhat halt the illegal tobacco trade amongst countries and get the government 50 billion more dollars in annual tax revenue. The article states that eliciting drugs are currently one of the most dangerous trades ever. The process consists of getting young people, the poor, or people who are vulnerable to have, want and or keep these cheap illegal cigarettes, according to Ian Walton-George, who was the chair of the negotiations. Negotiators and others believe following this new agreement will initiate positives. For one the negative health impact from the tobacco would decrease, and secondly the government would be able to regain money lost due to smuggling. The approximated loss due to smuggling is between 40 and 50 billion dollars. The deal would require states to establish a tracking system so that officials would be able to tell when someone was attempting to conduct legal trade business as well as it requires companies to be licensed in the trade . Background checks would also be done of the people involved with trades to make sure that they do not have criminal ties. The negotiators stressed the importance of checking these items being traded and really want to make sure all trades are legit.

I think this article is very important. In our textbook, the chapter on crime discussed how big the drug and tobacco world is. I think it has gotten completely out of hand. It is a shame that these drug traders prey on the younger population and the poor especially because they know these people are the most vulnerable. They know that these people will buy the tobacco especially if it is discounted given their circumstances. As I was reading the article I noticed that the negotiators did address the health impact of the tobacco trading but they only touched on it briefly. The majority of the article focused on tax revenue. This makes me think that they negotiators and officials are only pushing the issue because the government is benefiting directly from stopping tobacco trafficking in terms of money. With that being said, I think the deal or proposal is a great idea, I just wish more emphasis was put on the health aspect or other aspects more pertaining to the victims. I would have liked the article to be more concerned with helping aid the people than gaining money. Looking at things from a sociological aspect, one would have to look at things from all sides of the spectrum, so in that case it is more than just about the money.

 

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/countries_agree_to_anti_tobacco_9y6Qzp4uIX01p8GG6gpPiO