A swipe at anti-smokers
Jan 16, 2004
You must have heard this, unless you were busy smoking in a hole somewhere. The jury in a New York State court has awarded $8m (sh16b) in damages to a widow whose spouse smoked, got cancer and died
You must have heard this, unless you were busy smoking in a hole somewhere. The jury in a New York State court has awarded $8m (sh16b) in damages to a widow whose spouse smoked, got cancer and died. I guess my friend at TEAN, Phillip Karugaba, is over the moon in excitement.
The story goes that court ordered tobacco company Brown & Williamson to pay this money for conspiracy and fraudulently concealing the health risks of smoking.
At first, the tobacco company denied that it ever had any ‘relationship with that woman’ but in the end, the woman emerged victor.
The story goes that this widow’s husband got wads of chemically processed tobacco, stuffed them in his mouth, set them on fire and then pulled hot gases into his lungs.
Mbu he did not know that this would be harmful to his health, so in the end, he acquired cancer and one morning, he woke up to find himself dead!
Like you would expect, lawyers all over the world are happy about this verdict. Mbu it is going to be a turning point and will encourage many more lawsuits against tobacco companies.
I would not be surprised if some Ugandan also dragged BAT to court under similar circumstances (I can see a smile on Karugaba’s face).
But, the issue is, whatever happens, there is no way a third world government like Uganda is going to put a total ban on this smoking thing.
Let us get real here. BAT is one of the biggest tax payers in the country. It is responsible for the direct employment of over 60,000 Ugandans. The spill-over effect puts BAT in charge of the lives of over 600,000 Ugandans.
Then, a group of anti-smokers want this whole thing banned? Give me a break.
I am not saying this because I smoke. I made an adult decision to do so and besides, I also smoke for humanitarian reasons.
Yes, I come from Nebbi District which grows some of the biggest amounts of tobacco in the great lakes region.
Every cigarette I smoke contributes towards paying school fees or buying food for one of my relatives out there.
Well, if I die of a cigarette-related disease, my people would have killed me!
When the anti-smokers (God forbid) achieve their ultimate goal, there will be a national crisis. Government will spearhead a campaign to have cigarettes back, lest the economy hits a drastic nosedive.
We shall probably see the President going to rallies and advocating for tobacco to add more money to the treasury so that choppers are bought, potholes are re-designed and Medical workers given a pay rise.
Like I have always said, when a tobacco company pays damages to smokers, they have to recover that money somehow by selling more and more cigarettes.
In the end, we are getting more people to smoke and more noise from the anti-smokers — it is just like a vicious circle of smoking.
However, there is one group of people who benefit from this entire circus. You guessed right –– the lawyers!
These guys are so interesting. They tell two people to undress for a fight and then run away with their clothes.
While the anti-smokers and tobacco companies undress for a fight, the lawyers are laughing all the way to the bank.
In the meantime, the smoking public is growing by leaps and bounds. More funds are wasted in financing anti-tobacco organisations and a lot of time is wasted in all.
What people should do about smoking is let everyone of consenting age choose whether to smoke or not.
We in the third world do not even consume an eighth of what our western brothers consume. And you and I know that if this world gets rid tobacco, very many people will have no jobs.
Phillip Karugaba will be jobless as will 60,000 Ugandans. The lawyers will retain their jobs and lots of money from tobacco settlements!
Sagara10@yahoo.com
075445367
The story goes that court ordered tobacco company Brown & Williamson to pay this money for conspiracy and fraudulently concealing the health risks of smoking.
At first, the tobacco company denied that it ever had any ‘relationship with that woman’ but in the end, the woman emerged victor.
The story goes that this widow’s husband got wads of chemically processed tobacco, stuffed them in his mouth, set them on fire and then pulled hot gases into his lungs.
Mbu he did not know that this would be harmful to his health, so in the end, he acquired cancer and one morning, he woke up to find himself dead!
Like you would expect, lawyers all over the world are happy about this verdict. Mbu it is going to be a turning point and will encourage many more lawsuits against tobacco companies.
I would not be surprised if some Ugandan also dragged BAT to court under similar circumstances (I can see a smile on Karugaba’s face).
But, the issue is, whatever happens, there is no way a third world government like Uganda is going to put a total ban on this smoking thing.
Let us get real here. BAT is one of the biggest tax payers in the country. It is responsible for the direct employment of over 60,000 Ugandans. The spill-over effect puts BAT in charge of the lives of over 600,000 Ugandans.
Then, a group of anti-smokers want this whole thing banned? Give me a break.
I am not saying this because I smoke. I made an adult decision to do so and besides, I also smoke for humanitarian reasons.
Yes, I come from Nebbi District which grows some of the biggest amounts of tobacco in the great lakes region.
Every cigarette I smoke contributes towards paying school fees or buying food for one of my relatives out there.
Well, if I die of a cigarette-related disease, my people would have killed me!
When the anti-smokers (God forbid) achieve their ultimate goal, there will be a national crisis. Government will spearhead a campaign to have cigarettes back, lest the economy hits a drastic nosedive.
We shall probably see the President going to rallies and advocating for tobacco to add more money to the treasury so that choppers are bought, potholes are re-designed and Medical workers given a pay rise.
Like I have always said, when a tobacco company pays damages to smokers, they have to recover that money somehow by selling more and more cigarettes.
In the end, we are getting more people to smoke and more noise from the anti-smokers — it is just like a vicious circle of smoking.
However, there is one group of people who benefit from this entire circus. You guessed right –– the lawyers!
These guys are so interesting. They tell two people to undress for a fight and then run away with their clothes.
While the anti-smokers and tobacco companies undress for a fight, the lawyers are laughing all the way to the bank.
In the meantime, the smoking public is growing by leaps and bounds. More funds are wasted in financing anti-tobacco organisations and a lot of time is wasted in all.
What people should do about smoking is let everyone of consenting age choose whether to smoke or not.
We in the third world do not even consume an eighth of what our western brothers consume. And you and I know that if this world gets rid tobacco, very many people will have no jobs.
Phillip Karugaba will be jobless as will 60,000 Ugandans. The lawyers will retain their jobs and lots of money from tobacco settlements!
Sagara10@yahoo.com
075445367