Slow burn: tobacco control in the Americas

13 years ago, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) entered into force. A gargantuan effort to push the implementation of six measures—from monitoring of tobacco use to raising taxes on tobacco—the convention has been lauded as one of the most rapidly embraced treaties in UN history. However, it has also come under fire for poor implementation of its recommendations. 181 countries have committed to the FCTC—30 of which are in the Americas. A report published Aug 29 by the WHO Pan American Health Organization provides a case study of how the implementation of the FCTC measures needs to accelerate to control the tobacco epidemic.