Unfair Play, Game Over!

The Parliament of Canada unanimously agreed to the passage of a new Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act. Which would have the effect of prohibiting flavour additions to tobacco products which are designed to market cigarettes and cigarillos to young people. And children, as well, since they are so eminently marketable. The bill's effect will prohibit candy- and fruit-flavoured tobacco products.

Now isn't that a truly dastardly ploy? No, not the Government of Canada's decision to act responsibly to protects its vulnerable youth from the enticement of smoking tobacco masquerading as a fun-product tasting like fruit and candy. The action of a friendly government to imperil the livelihood of God-fearing, lucre-worshipping producers that help make America great. The morality of marketing such products seems not to bother tobacco manufacturers one whit.

And while it's all right to uncover through internal investigations the reality that tobacco manufacturers engage in withholding scientific data inimical to their longevity, even when they know that their products are inimical to the longevity of human beings as a result of their addiction to a fatality-inducing product, that's for the protection of the folks at home. These addictive products find a large audience elsewhere in the world.

But uh-uh, not in Canada, any longer, folks. Recognizing that this is a dangerous product, that those who insist on using it should be adults, consenting with full knowledge of the personal dangers involved - and not kids who tend to ignore any kind of warnings of danger ahead, and to respond to such warnings with an accelerated leap at forbidden products - isn't it amazing that U.S. lawmakers would go out of their way to lobby Canada?

Well, perhaps not if those seven members of Congress are from areas in Kentucky, Virginia and Indiana. Tobacco-producing states of that union of unreconstructed free-marketeers. So now a group of Republicans and Democrats representing their states' free-market interests are chiding Canada for its insistence on saving its own. And resenting what they see as Canadian officials appearing to be "key facilitators" for a group proposing that nations "prohibit or restrict the use of flavouring substances".

Health Canada explains that Canada's purpose is to bar cigarettes with flavours like vanilla, licorice and chocolate. Additions that would hardly appeal to the adult palate, but most definitely would to the sugar-discriminating tastes of children. Entrap Canadian children into a life-time of abusive health practises? Well, why not, in the interests of the bottom line and an expanded network of victims?

But Canada is being charged with "duplicity" and the belief of these American lawmakers that there exists a Canadian-based "rogue" bureaucrats' agenda to eradicate American-style cigarettes from the global market that has them enraged. The larger issue being that Canada's initiative in this area is being considered as a template for the World Health organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

"We believe Canada's approach has gone too far. If your government pushes these provisions through the FCTC process, the result could devastate the burley farmers in our state." Marlboro, Camel and Winston brand cigarettes are blended with burley, a harsh-tasting tobacco, to which 'mild' flavourings are added for greater acceptance. Message: change the losing formula; don't blame those who reject the product.

A product imperilled? Um, tough. Canadian manufacturers of goods must abide by American laws, and the reverse, particularly in this critical health-related-product issue is a fine case in point of what's good for the goose ...