In an interconnected world, we're seeing ways that globalization may help or hinder our lives. Take the tobacco industry: It is using innovative means to bypass fledgling government tobacco control policies, particularly in developing countries. It is riding a wave to open regional trade in East Asia and the Pacific.
Under trade agreements among the 10 countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, taxes and import restrictions will be markedly reduced on locally grown and regionally manufactured products to increase the flow of goods, labor and wealth across borders. As a result, the international tobacco industry is relocating production to ASEAN countries to maximize access to countries with undeveloped tobacco control measures; to keep their product prices low; and to cuddle up to some enticing markets, including South East Asia and China.
So why should we care? Because the human impact of tobacco use is overwhelming: One person dies every 32 seconds from tobacco-related causes in the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Region of 37 countries, including Japan and China. The region, home to 1.6 billion people, has the greatest increase in tobacco use worldwide and thus the greatest potential for more death and disability.