Editorials

SMOKING VICTIMS

05/03/02 21:54 Filed in: My Ideas
White Man's Magic?

How come all the chain-smoking journalists write stories about globalisation, decrying Gap, Nike and other companies for outsourcing manufacturing to sweat shops in third world countries, yet fail to tell the world what the cigarette companies are doing?

In Australia, we have banned smoking advertising. As a result, all our scratched and faded hoardings and outdoor umbrellas have been sent to nearby third world island nations like Vanuatu and Tonga.

The natives are being addicted to the dreaded weed.

In Vanuatu, for example, cigarettes are sold one-by-one at the supermarket checkout. The locals are too poor to buy a packet or carton, but can buy one or two with their change.

The average Australian male smoker dies at 75 years, from smoking-related complications, from a kind of prolonged hypoxia – attended by the best medical carers.

The terror in his eyes; as he realises his biggest lung-fulls of air are unable to alleviate the CO2 tremors; vanishes as the expensive morphine washes over him. Only the best will do …

In the third world the hospital bed is covered in plastic, there is no air-conditioning, the entire family comes and sleeps on the floor. Toilet paper must be bought from the Red Cross trolley and there is no money for supplemental oxygen. Morphine is prohibitive and death comes with a rattle after hours of tremors.

Little kids are sensibly terrified.

In thirty years, the wards will be full of these patients who will probably never make the connection.

Can you name one country that is adequately planning to care for its future AIDS sufferers, alcoholics and smokers?

Why don’t Australian journalists write about this? Would they much rather pretend it’s not happening? Or perhaps they are hoping for a magical cure.


March 5th, 2002

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