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Big Tobacco's Global Terror I am sending this message on behalf of BNICEH (Black Network In Children's Emotional Health) and EDAG (Economic Development Association of Ghana). BNICEH is a coalition member of Chicago Together, an ATOD (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs) prevention partnership between Chicago Department of Public Health, community coalitions, Safe and Drugfree Schools, and Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) That is why BNICEH is sponsoring the Great American SmokeOut in Chicago at Rogers Park Library 6907 N. Clark from 1:30-3:30 p.m. CST and showing "Making A Killing," the Infact video on the Philip Morris Tobaco Epidemic at 2 p.m. It's 29 minutes of truth about Philip Morris and Kraft--how they spread the tobacco epidemic worldwide--how children are sucked into the glamour of smoking, how adults ignore the cycle of addiction for something that brings such displeasure--such death and destruction. Something that kills more persons of Afrikan (African) descent than AIDS, murder, gang violence, plane crashes, terrorism, car accudents, cocaine, heroin combined!!! So on this day of the Great American SmokeOut, it is critical that we take the opportunity to appeal to the U.S. government to take a lead in tightening tobacco control internationally when FCTC meets Nov. 22 in Geneva. As a former smoker, I am adamant about banning all tobacco advertising. I feel that it is wrong for the U.S. to hold a double standard in banning tobacco ads and sales for our youth, but not for youth in other countries. So many youth that I work with have asthma. Others complain of the smoke from their siblings, parents, and other family members. I see the effects of nicotine addiction daily in disabled people hardly able to hold a pen or a cup desperately reaching for a cigarette or having care providers to push it toward their mouth; some even have holders crafted for them by rehab engineeers--in the name of physical or occupational therapy. I wonder how a health professional prescribes such a device knowing that tobacco is a killer and solves absolutely no challenge nor problem of stress, depression, pain, suffering? We recommend safety helmets for motorcyclists, bicyclists, race car drivers. Yet, tobacco which kills more people has no safety helmet. There is no safe cigarette unless it is never manufactured. There is no way something that contains over 4,000 chemicals and contributes to the lung cancer of both the smoker and the nonsmoker is safe!! The Illinois Department of Public Health admits that tobacco is the only product that kills 1 out of every 3 people who use it!! Does anyone tell this to persons with disabilities, young people, pregnant women, people who have been diagnosed with depression? Church sermons are preached daily about the ills of loose men and women, alcohol, and drugs, but little is said about loose regulations of the tobacco industry. In fact, many churches host events where smoking and drinking go hand in hand with entertainment and dinner. Moreover, pastors, choir directors, patrons often can't wait to light up a cigarette after services-even indoors in restrooms!!! Nicotine is no respecter of persons. It is addictive to smokers regardless of income, education or social status. Perhaps we will soon wake up to discover that we have only had a nightmare, or perhaps this is an opportunity for all of us to restore sanity and integrity to our government, to the corporate world, to mass media, to our armed forces, and to our colleagues and associates who feel that it is okay to accept Kraft dollars and buy Kraft products, because they are not directly killing anyone. Somehow we study terrorism and its long range effects on our lives internationally, but we forget those who smoke tobacco manufactured by Philip Morris, British Tobacco, etc., die from it or contract illness. We shut down bank accounts of those conected with terorists, but we allow tobacco manufacturers free range to profit from the population's addiction to deadly nicotine. Why are we still sending soldiers into battle with a killer by their side. Smoking is suicidal for them and they don't even know it!! We fear terrorism, but stare cancer, asthma, emphysema, heart disease, and a stroke in the face. It's like a game of roulette. How soon before your number is up? Is it all that hard to write a letter to President Bush, to our Congressional leaders, to our county commissioners saying we have had enough? We need the corporate world and the U.S.government to stop negotiating our lives in exchange for trade with countries, in exchange for Philip Morris dollars, and Kraft dollars. We need to tell our colleagues, children, parents, grandparents, neighbors the truth---yes, we do mind if you smoke--because we are trying to preserve life. In Ghana, EDAG works toward tobacco control to reduce or stop lung cancer in children and stop tobacco sales to youth. Do you know how painful it is watching someone die from lung cancer and seeing them writhe in pain form something that is preventable if we would just stop making it look so glamorous in movies, in ads, etc. I know--I watched my mother die from lung cancer. I use a wheelchair and have had my share of pain and tribulations. I have not smoked since 1978. No magic--no sudden medical warning-- I just solved a big problem and overturned it without smoking myself to death. I had a higher partner in this decision. It was life changing, life saving, exhilarating to be able to taste my food, to breath, to live... Yes, I traded my Virginia Slims for a higher quality of life. I have never regreted it. I have found tobacco a poor substitute for healthy attitudes and clean air. The Americans witth Disabilities Act (ADA) gives me the right to accessibility. However, I still have trouble in Chicago getting into buildings, including the cable station (CAN-TV) where I edit or produce videos, the building that houses Chicago's Department of Public Health, the building that houses Cook County administrators, Juvenile Court, Rehab Institute of Chicago, etc.-- it's because of the cloud of smoke endlessly billowing from the cigarettes of addicted individuals--the same secondhand smoke that contributes to the death of so many people, and sends my daughter and I running. My mother died from lung cancer, my father from emphysema and other ailments. My aunt died from smoking. She smoked unfiltered Pall Malls and had emphysema. I don't want to be a victim of secondhand smoke nor does my daughter, so we spekan out agisnt it and we produce comunity videos about it. Perhaps you received this message at a time when you planned to focus on the Dow Jones or the police blotter, an update to the war in Afghanistan, or what the latest news is concerning the Olmstead Act which has taken a backseat to terrorism. Numerous persons with disabilities sit at home without personal attendants due to the low wages and poor services rendered by Office of Rehab Services, or in limbo in nursing facilities and residential settings who could be at home with services, but they are waiting on the Olmstead Act to be implemented. Illinois is 46th in community care and home services--almost as bad as tobacco's health rating. Some of these people smoke out of frustration. All of them who smoke are addicted. I make no apology for awakening you to the few facts that I presented on tobacco, on the problems of disabled persons, nor my partnership with EDAG. I will apologize to the children if you fail to act, but they may not accept my apology nor yours. If you are woke now, please spread the word. If you need help to quit, call your local health department or the American Lung Association at 1-800-USA-LUNG or American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345. And by all means get your letters in to President Bush before Nov. 22. You may be stopping a killer. If you decide to return or not to accept Kraft dollars or funds from other tobacco-related entities, we applaud your decision. Perhaps other private entities will pick up the ball and fund our tobacco control efforts as we continue to organize our communities for smokefree family events. Sincerely in Love and Peace, Maat Ayo Maat, Ph.D., M. HS 6951 N. Sheridan Chicago, IL 60626-3527 BNICEH news and bio at www.groups.yahoo.com\group\bnicehvideonews BNICEH is a member of Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, Rogers Park Consortium, Urban Art Retreat Coalition, Child Welfare and Juvenile justice Consortium (lead agency), and Chicago Together. |