Tar Wars

The other day I was preparing a packet of anti-tobacco materials for a Southern Arizona school district, when my Cuban co-worker struck up a conversation. You know, just the usual office banter. "How are you doing? What are you working on today? I used to be a smoker." She went on to tell me that when she was growing up in Cuba they had a huge food crisis. Families were struggling to provide enough food for their children, and the school system was in no position to offer assistance.

We all know that Cuba is heralded as the land of fine cigars for "gentlemen." ...whatever. Well, it turns out that smoking regulations in Cuban history have been very lax. This is not altogether a big surprise. As a teenager, my coworker would take what little money she had and blow it on cigarettes. She explained that it was the only way to curb her feelings of starvation.

What caught me off guard was how she purchased her cigarettes. She wasn't a "shoulder tapper" outside the convenience store. She had no reason to do anything "illegal" when cigarettes were being distributed from a vending machine in the school cafeteria. I believe Philip Morris explains his campaign best, “Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens. . . The smoking patterns of teenagers are particularly important to Philip Morris." Thanks Phil. You can read more delightful quotes by visiting www.tobaccowatchdog.org/justForYouth.htm.

What the tobacco execs won't do for money!