Mr. Victor Fedorovych Yanukovych President of Ukraine 11, Bankova Street Kyiv, Ukraine, 01220
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Mr. Victor Fedorovych Yanukovych President of Ukraine 11, Bankova Street Kyiv, Ukraine, 01220 June 11, 2012 Dear President Yanukovych: We, the undersigned, are international public health organizations committed to the reduction of tobacco addiction and tobacco-related deaths throughout the world, with the end goal of protecting individuals, families, and societies facing the devastating harms produced by tobacco consumption and exposure to secondhand smoke. We strongly urge you to take action to prevent the unnecessary death and disease of Ukrainians by signing the national 100% smoke-free legislation (#9474) recently passed by the Verkhovna Rada. Signing Bill #9474 into law would significantly strengthen Ukraine’s current ban on smoking by establishing 100% smoke-free policies in all bars, restaurants, cafes, and discos. As proven in countries around the world, the only effective way to protect the public from secondhand smoke is to enact comprehensive smoke-free laws that cover all indoor workplaces and public places. Partial laws and/or designated smoking areas do not effectively protect from the harms of secondhand smoke. In Ukraine, there are 11 million smokers (29%) - 50% of men and 11% of women. Smoking among Ukrainian youth is a serious problem (24%), especially among girls (21%). 115,000 Ukrainians die each year from smoking-related diseases. Additionally, 72% of youth report being exposed to secondhand smoke in public places, and two-thirds (64%) of all Ukrainians are exposed to secondhand smoke in restaurants and cafes. Smoke-free laws save lives by protecting those most likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke, especially youth. More than 600,000 people die from diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke worldwide and close to 100,000 of these deaths take place in Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, and Russian Federation. Death caused by unnecessary exposure to secondhand smoke and tobacco use is an additional burden on a Ukrainian population which is currently experiencing 200,000 more deaths than births annually. Among men, smoking causes 37% of all deaths during prime productive years (age 35-69). We encourage you not to be deceived by the tobacco industry arguments that smoke free laws are ineffective, unpopular, or hurt business. Time and again, the tobacco industry has tried to weaken government’s resolve to protect the health of it citizens by denying the extent of health harms associated with secondhand smoke and by distributing misinformation about public opinion about smoke-free laws. In fact, an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians (80%) supports strengthening your country’s smoke-free legislation. They recognize that comprehensive smoke-free legislation is necessary to protect the Ukrainian people, the majority of which do not smoke, from the devastating harms caused by tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The reality is that the tobacco industry is only interested in protecting their profits and not in protecting the health of Ukrainians or their rights. As President you have already proven to be a tobacco control leader in the region by taking progressive steps to strengthen the Ukraine’s tobacco control polices. Just this year you signed bill #5164 into law, which will limit the ways that the tobacco industry can market their deadly products to Ukrainian youth. And in September Ukraine’s pack warning law will go into effect, mandating pictorial warnings on all tobacco packages to warn smokers about the harmful effects of tobacco use. Your signature on Bill #9474 will build on recent momentum for strong policies in Ukraine and will further demonstrate the Ukrainian government’s leadership in the region and internationally in tobacco control. Sincerely, Matthew L. Myers Francis Grogna President Secretary General Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention Nathan Grey, MPH Matthew Philpott National Vice President, Public Health Director American Cancer Society European Healthy Stadia Network Sandra Mullin Sidney C. Smith, Jr. MD Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications President World Lung Foundation World Heart Federation Laurent Huber Dr. Ehsan Latif Sheikh Director Director, Tobacco Control Framework Convention Alliance International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Laura Salgado Co-chair Global Smokefree Partnership .