World Tobacco Day: Tell Washington to Ratify The Tobacco Treaty

Doug Ulman, the President and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change.

At this moment, we face a crisis that is quietly killing millions. In 2010, cancer will become the #1 cause of death in the world. This statistic is especially tragic considering that one-third of all cancer deaths are preventable. And taking a stronger stand to prevent tobacco addiction will save countless people the pain of a diagnosis.

Lung cancer is the fastest growing cause of cancer deaths in the world and, overwhelmingly, those losses are caused by tobacco. In 2004, the U.S. took an important step towards addressing the devastating global impact of tobacco by signing the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Today, World Tobacco Day, is our chance to tell Washington it's time to finish the job and join other leading nations in ratifying this treaty.

The Tobacco Treaty can literally make a life-or-death difference for millions, and the people in the Change.org community helped put it back onto the political map. LIVESTRONG's effort to push for ratification of the treaty was voted one of Change.org's Top Ten Ideas for Change in America earlier this year. When ratified, the treaty will commit countries to implement scientifically proven policies that rein in the big tobacco companies and prevent kids, Big Tobacco's favorite target, from smoking - the best possible strategy for preventing lung and other forms of cancer.

Please join us in demanding that the White House send the treaty to the Senate and "Ratify Now."

Photo credit: Meddygarnet