By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Why? Why? Why did the Iron Lady do it? Is Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister, who was recently made a peer, so lacking in funds that she has to accept a reported one million dollars from cigarette giant Phillip Morris to act as a consultant? If her true motive is money, what can be done to get Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven out of the Marlboro saddle?
Maggie's job is to use her world-wide status and influence to help Phillip Morris fight the proposed European ban on cigarette advertising. Sources also indicate she will also help to promote the sale of tobacco products in Eastern Europe and the Third World. How ironic that just as the former Prime Minister assumes this role the macho "Marlboro Man" has just died of lung cancer!
How could the Iron Lady collect rust so quickly? Margaret Thatcher is a non-smoker. She spoke out against smoking several times while Prime Minister. And in 1989 launched an 11 million pound campaign to halve the number of teenage smokers in Britain by 1993.
That's why Britain's Sunday Times reported that both doctors and government officials were stunned by her appointment. "I'm astonished", Professor Richard Peto of Oxford University's School of Medical Statistics, told the London newspaper. Added Tory M.P. Winston Churchill, "It's a matter of profound regret." This may prove to be the understatement of the year.
How does the Iron Lady feel? Her London office, when asked this question, replied," I don't think Lady Thatcher would get involved in anything that was in any way improper".
I doubt that we're going to see Baroness Thatcher on T.V. in the saddle wearing a stetson and smoking a Marlboro cigarette. But indirectly Margaret Thatcher's association with Phillip Morris is going to cause an untold number of cigarette-related deaths.
Thomas Paine, the American political writer, once remarked, "These are the times that try men's souls." Lady Thatcher's decision must be trying the souls of physicians, public health officials and others who have charged for years that cigarette smoking causes, not only 90 per cent of lung related disorders, but also 30 per cent of cancer deaths, and 30 per cent of cardiovascular disease. Ô 0*0*0* Margaret Thatcher's timing couldn't be worse for another reason. Just as Maggie starts her crusade to sell more cigarettes doctors have been given the first good tool, the nicotine patch, to fight cigarette addiction. It's a confrontation that should not have happened.
The nicotine patch makes sense. It releases a constant trickle of nicotine into the blood stream to counteract agonizing withdrawal symptoms of giving up smoking.
One patch, comes in three different strengths. The strongest patch delivers 21 milligrams (mg.) of nicotine in 24 hours and one patch is used daily for the first month. This is then replaced with the 14 mg. patch for another month. The 7 mg. patch is used for the final four weeks. Equally important, patients are also given a "support package", a program which offers assistance to smokers who want to stop smoking.
Governmental educational programs and curtailment of smoking in many work places have helped to reduce cigarette sales in North America. But in spite of these campaigns millions of people still smoke in this country. That's bad news for people in the Third World who do not have such programs in effect. And cigarette companies needn't be reminded that these countries are sitting ducks for their promotion.
This columnist is no friend of tobacco companies. But I must agree Phillip Morris achieved a coup by nabbing Lady Thatcher. What a misfortune that other companies with products of benefit to mankind didn't beat Phillip Morris to the punch. If only they had the vision to close the barn door before Lady Thatcher escaped on horseback.
But Titus Livius, the Roman historian, writing in his "History of Rome" gave sound advice, "Better late than never". So although the hour is late maybe Baroness Thatcher can still be stopped from her nefarious mission.
Surely there is some company or some individual somewhere in this world willing to make a counter offer to her. An offer of two million dollars to act as a consultant to use her international connections to educate people of all nations on the folly of cigarette smoking.
Two or even five million dollars is a paltry amount when you weighed against the cost of the Phillip Morris project. Hundreds of millions of dollars it will be needed to treat the victims of Third World countries who innocently believe there's no harm to smoking if the Iron Lady has given it her blessing.
Regrettably I'm not the president of a multinational company. I can't make this offer to Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven. But is anyone else listening?
W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com
My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:
Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1
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