Shellshocked
The American Tobacco Bill, which looks likely to become law imminently, has been my first experience with American politics.
The bill has left me totally shocked.
I’m shocked at the sheer extent of American corruption. I find it hard to believe that the American establishment will so smoothly lie and support a bill which will maintain the death rate of 400,000 smokers a year. That’s eight times the number of deaths suffered by America in the whole of the Vietnam war!
I can’t believe the audacity of a legislation which will happily remove safe alternatives to smoking that experts in tobacco harm reduction are convinced are at least 100 times safer than cigarettes. What about our rights to a safer alternative? Are you really suggesting you create a smuggling industry where people have to smuggle in products that are safer than legal products sold on the shelf in the US?
And with a few exceptions – such as the excellent Reuters article, Cool, Refreshing Legislation for Philip Morris – the media have been totally complicit in the lies being told by players such as Philip Morris, the American government and the American Public Health Groups.
It makes UK efforts at corruption – spending a few pounds of tax payers’ money on porn videos – seem pathetic in comparison.
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I agree. It is depressing etc, however I don't think it is so much corrupt but rather a natural outcome considering the culture.
Tobacco demonization has been so successful that no one can really believe that there could be any downsides to any bill that would restrict tobacco in any way. I am astounded at how anti-tobacco and anti-smoking groups didn't seem to mind Phillip Morris being part of the team and still managed to argue that anyone who opposed the bill on any grounds must be pro-tobacco.
This has been a dark day indeed.