The Global Tobacco Epidemic and the Law

Tobacco use represents a critical global health challenge. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco kills nearly 6 million people a year, with the toll expected to rise to 8 million annually over the next two decades. Written by health and legal experts from institutions around the globe, The Global Tobacco Epidemic and the Law examines the key areas of domestic and international law affecting the regulation of tobacco.

The book offers a wide-ranging and in-depth exploration of relevant legal questions, including a focus on the activities of the World Health Organization and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, as well as an extensive evaluation of relevant developments in international trade law and international investment law. The authors’ expert analysis also sheds light on broader questions relating to the capacity of governments to regulate tobacco products and the tobacco industry, as reflected in detailed case studies of tobacco control in various countries and regions around the world. The answers to these questions are of vital interest to the international community, with states’ regulatory sovereignty regarding tobacco increasingly being challenged in local and international courts and tribunals.

Combining unique insight with rigorous analysis, this book will facilitate a more sophisticated understanding of the legal issues concerning tobacco control and will be of interest to lawyers, diplomats, policymakers and NGOs, as well being a valuable resource for scholars of law, public policy and health.