Uruguay vs. Philip Morris

While I was in Uruguay last year, I posted about the sickly, shocking, and unsightly images plastered on the side of cigarette cartons by government mandate. The disturbing photos were required to fill at least 80% of the package.


Now it appears Philip Morris has filed a case against Uruguay's public health measures. I'm not surprised. Images of dying babies certainly don't help cigarette sales.

Furthermore, Eyes on Trade suggests "the implication of the BIT [Swiss-Uruguay Bilateral Investment Treaty] was not more jobs created in Uruguay, but a platform for a long existing entity to challenge Uruguay's efforts to reduce smoking deaths - and maybe, just maybe, put a chill on anti-tobacco legislation in other developing countries - now a primary market for Multinational Big Tobacco."

Personally, I'm for trade. Against Big Tobacco. End of story.