The world may be undergoing a slow and subtle transformation that could be escaping our notice. Caught as we are in the daily demands of forging a better life for ourselves, we may be ignoring some warning signs that could be signalling the demise of the system of nations as we know it.
It is a world today where global corporations and multinationals wield an enormous influence in our way of life. Rules are being forged and thrust upon us by powerful lobbies and interest groups that do not always cater to the interest of mankind. Take the case of Philip Morris, an American multinational that produces cigarettes and tobacco products. It offers seven of the largest selling brands of cigarettes in the world. The company has enjoyed unprecedented growth and success for many decades, promoting and selling its harmful product in every corner of the globe.
Medical research that intensified in the 1960s and 1970s confirmed a direct correlation between smoking and cancer of the lip and mouth, vascular diseases and cancer of the lung as well as development of many other diseases. Although the finding that smoking caused these various diseases was vigorously debated for many years, it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that cigarette smoking has now been found to be positively associated with nearly 40 diseases or causes of death and to be indirectly associated with eight or nine more. In the US, more than 20 million Americans have died because of smoking. The first report linking smoking and health was published 50 years ago.
In the face of rising evidence that the product was indeed harmful and was the leading cause of various diseases and deaths that would one day create a financial burden on their economy, many countries in the world began waking up and taking notice. They started a series of binding restrictions against giant tobacco companies, including the banning of advertising of their products and demanding that all smoking products carry a health warning notification prominently visible for all to see.
Some countries, alarmed by the rise of smokers in their population, sued big tobacco companies for health damages to their people and won. Others passed restrictive legislation on the promotion and sale of tobacco products; so much so, that in one country, a showdown is currently in progress between a tobacco giant and the country’s lawmakers. Philip Morris is suing Uruguay for having some of the best anti-smoking laws in the world and according to some analysts there is a good chance it could win. The laws in Uruguay require that 80 per cent of a cigarette packet be covered with medical warnings and graphic images. Smoking had reached crisis levels, killing around seven Uruguayans each day, but since this law was put in place, there has been a positive effect and smoking has shown a gradual decrease annually.
The tobacco giant is arguing that the warning labels demanded by the Uruguay government leave no space for its trademarks. Just imagine. A single company with a product that heralds in disease and eventual death has the nerve to demand that laws protecting the health of citizens be overruled! It’s a chilling thought!
Expensive lawsuit
Avaaz, an NGO that promotes activism on issues affecting the common man such as climate change, human rights, animal rights, corruption, poverty, has taken up the fight against this diabolical attempt by the tobacco maker and is asking that voices must be raised to make the protests global. They contend that this lawsuit is part of a global strategy by Philip Morris to sue and intimidate countries. The company has already slapped an expensive lawsuit on Australia — and if it wins against Uruguay, it could run cases against more than a hundred other countries including France, Norway, New Zealand and Finland who are all considering new life-saving legislation.
According to Avaaz, the Uruguayan court has already come under fire for not listening to the public in similar lawsuits and if ‘Big Tobacco’ gets its way, it opens the door for challenges everywhere — at least four other countries are in the legal crosshairs, and many more have anti-smoking laws at risk.
Philip Morris may stand victorious because it is using a closed-door international tribunal that ruled in favour of corporations two-thirds of the time last year. And their rulings are binding, even though many of the judges are private citizens with corporate ties instead of impartial legal experts. One must also remember that Philip Morris has deep pockets and everyone has a price.
Studies by the various authorities in the Gulf Cooperation Council clearly indicate that smoking and tobacco consumption in the region is on an unprecedented rise. The region has become fertile ground for promoting tobacco products as anti-smoking legislation is weak and a fast-growing birthrate means a higher number of potential smokers. Big tobacco companies have conveniently established regional headquarters in the region for the GCC market and set to work promoting their deadly products. Their game is to get us hooked, while they rake in the billions!
Unlike the cigarettes of yesteryears, which consisted primarily of tobacco products, today’s cigarettes are most likely a concoction of chemically laced carcinogens with a sprinkling of tobacco guaranteed to make the user a life-long addict. The only residual value of using such a product is disease and early death.
We must join hands with Avaaz and resist this deadly addiction for what it is and stop these purveyors of death from promoting and selling their products on our soils. It is the least we owe to the generations that follow.
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
