Posted on 10/25/2005 6:54:19 AM PDT by SheLion
Doctors call on Ottawa to buy big tobacco and manage orderly phase-out
OTTAWA--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 21, 2005) - (Ottawa) Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada (PSC) today called on the government to stop the "rape and run" tactics of tobacco business corporations by buying tobacco companies outright and seeing that they are run in the public interest to phase out tobacco completely by 2030.
"Yesterday's announcement by Imperial Tobacco that they would close their manufacturing plants and lay off 650 workers was entirely predictable." said Neil Collishaw, Research Director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. "Canada is making great strides at reducing tobacco use, therefore the industry is acting to protect its profits by reducing costs and destabilizing the cigarette market."
"This announced plant closure is not good news," Collishaw added. "What Canada needs is an orderly made-in-Canada phase out of tobacco growing and cigarette manufacturing. What we are getting is a profit-driven exercise by one of the world's wealthiest multinational companies to create chaos and confusion in ways that erode public control over cigarette manufacturing." The removal of tobacco manufacturing will make it harder for the Canadian government to control contraband, and to regulate cigarette manufacture.
"Canadians need a better strategy than British American Tobacco is prepared to offer," said Collishaw. "That better strategy can be provided by creating a public interest agency to manage the tobacco market and to phase it out by 2030."
Options for how such a new public interest agency could be created and structured have been detailed in a new publication authored by Collishaw and colleagues - 'Curing the Addiction to Profits: A supply-side approach to phasing out tobacco.' This book was published in June 2005 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
"There are already strong public health reasons for the government to take over the tobacco industry. If BAT implements yesterday's announcements, much of the Canadian capacity to control cigarette manufacturing in ways that reduce smoking will be lost. That is why it is urgent for the federal government and all stakeholders to work quickly to develop a strategy for public management of this industry.
("Denny Crane: Gun Control? For Communists. She's a liberal. Can't hunt.")
Same here in the states. How the heck are they going to manage this?
Yep!
"Smoke-Free Canada (PSC) today called on the government to... buying tobacco companies outright and seeing that they are run in the public interest to phase out tobacco completely by 2030.
Well, if there's one thing a government takeover of a private business CERTAINLY can do is RUN IT INTO THE GROUND!!
Speak Easys = Smoke Easys?
Smoke Easy - right! :)
""This announced plant closure is not good news," Collishaw added. "What Canada needs is an orderly made-in-Canada phase out of tobacco growing and cigarette manufacturing."
How on earth does this idiot expect the plants to stay open if manufacturing of cigarettes is phased out? Socialism is a mental disorder!
The lawmakers throw anything out there and think that we are sheeple and will believe anything they say. They have another thought coming!
What makes them think that this won't lead to a HUMUNGOUS black market?
Well, let's see. Considering that the native (north) americans have been puffing on tobacco for at least a thousand years (maybe several thousand), this may be difficult.
Maybe these arrogant politicians should just simplify things and repeal the law of supply and demand (or maybe gravity).
Sheesh!
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