http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/letters/2015/10/16/letter-smoke-and-mirrors
DURING the Second World War, the Nazis murdered 10-million people. Those who resisted the Nazis were called partisans and freedom fighters. Tobacco products kill 6-million people per year.
Those who oppose this industry are labelled “nicotine nazis” by the manufacturers and its apologists. They have a perverted set of values.
In his latest column (Nicotine nazis hate one thing: pleasure, October 14), Leon Louw shows his warped understanding of addiction, tobacco control organisations and the history of the tobacco industry. He makes many false and weird assertions.
His rants against the National Council Against Smoking are baseless and do not merit a response.
His suggestion that the industry can help smokers find “freedom and dignity” is uninformed.
Since the 1960s, cigarette manufacturers have tried unsuccessfully to rally smokers to their cause by establishing and secretly funding “smoker’s rights groups”. They failed miserably because the overwhelming majority of smokers regret having started and wish to stop.
Most people smoke not because they want to but because they cannot easily stop. Addiction research shows that few people smoke for pleasure, and the main reason for continuing is to allay withdrawal symptoms.
Smokers crave nicotine not for pleasure, but to ward off irritation, anxiety, restlessness, depression, headaches, constipation and a host of other woes.
Moreover, far from seeing smokers as allies, the industry fears them. After decades of lying to its customers about the dangers of smoking, and manipulating nicotine levels to keep them addicted, the industry is now haunted by the spectre of litigation.
It has paid billions to those harmed by its products and is afraid it will have to pay much, much more.
Mr Louw preaches freedom but what he seeks is freedom to harm, not freedom from harm.
Dr Yussuf Saloojee
National Council Against Smoking