The American Public Health Association approved an important policy statement at the November Annual Meeting - "A Call for a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control." The APHA Governing Council adopted a statement submitted by our Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Section with the endorsement of several other sections. The statement describes alcohol's global burden of disease and social harm, lessons from the tobacco movement and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), rationale for an international treaty on alcohol, and how the current climate favors an international treaty. In conclusion "the American Public Health Association:
1. Calls on the World Health Organization to adopt and implement a binding international treaty, a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control, modeled after the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control;
2. Urges national public health organizations and other non-governmental organizations to support development of a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control; and
3. Solicits the U.S. government to support consideration of and planning for such Convention."
The APHA statement was inspired, in part, by the 2005 World Medical Association (WMA) Statement on Reducing the Global Impact of Alcohol on Health and Society, which urges National Medical Associations and all physicians to take a number of actions to help reduce the impact of alcohol on health and society, including "consideration of a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control similar to that of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that took effect on February 27, 2005." The American Medical Association had submitted the original draft statement to the WMA after important input by members of the ATOD Section who also contributed to language of the APHA statement. The complete document is on the APHA Web site at http://www.apha.org/legislative/policy/policysearch/index.cfm?fuseaction=view&id=1337
Donald W. Zeigler, Ph.D.
Governing Councilor
Donald.Zeigler@ama-assn.org
www.ama-assn.org/go/alcoholwww.alcoholpolicymd.com