[Tobacco control initiatives in Colombia's Congress, 1992-2007].
OBJECTIVE
To review tobacco bills introduced in Colombia's Congress and to compare these proposed measures to those of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).


METHODS
Bills on tobacco-related products in the Congress of the Republic of Colombia in July 1992-July 2007 were identified from the records of the Senate and the House of Representatives' Legal Office. Eighteen semistructured interviews of key players were conducted and the debate proceedings of three bills were observed.


RESULTS
Eighteen bills were evaluated; none was comprehensive-even when FCTC measures were included, these were partial or went in a different direction, indicating little awareness of the most effective tobacco control measures. Little compromise was observed on the part of the Congress, the Executive Branch, or the authors who were themselves seeking approval of the proposal. None of these bills became law.


CONCLUSIONS
The tobacco bills in the Colombian Congress during the study period could not ensure the development of legislation that is sufficiently effective in controlling tobacco in the country and could not provide a successful journey through a rigorous legislative process. Bills must be comprehensive, even when measures evolve gradually, and more attention must be given to the legislative process that must be completed for approval.
Ruiz
María A García
MA
Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia. mariaagarcia@javeriana.edu.co
Rivera-Rodríguez
Diana E
DE
Marín
Yolanda
Y
González
Juan Camilo
JC
Moreno
Raúl Hernando Murillo
RH
D003105:Colombia; D006076:Government; D006801:Humans; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*