Ottawa Sun
Published: Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Wrong target: Governments of all stripes have known for years that cigarettes kill

I'm no fan, friend or acquaintance of big tobacco. My disdain for these merchants of dirty, tar- and nicotine-laden, vile death sticks is palpable. I know others in the advocacy spheres of cancer and heart disease share my vehement and guttural passion to see these companies and their products legally wiped from the face of the Earth.

That being said, the spectacle of the Ontario government -- or any government for that matter -- suing big tobacco for $50 billion for 40 years of health-care costs back to 1955 is abusive public policy replete with hypocrisy and dangerous precedent.

It raises numerous questions, far too many for this column space, but here goes:

To start, why hasn't the Ontario government been working for the last 40 years to get tobacco deemed an illegal and dangerous substance, given that its own statement of claim asserts that the effects of tobacco use taxes our health system to the tune of $1.6 billion a year?

Then one also has to wonder what sort of federal and provincial commercial subsidy, loan guarantee, regional economic development, and/or immigrant training programs have existed over the years that benefited the tobacco industry throughout the value chain, from picking leaves in the field right through to stocking the convenience store shelf with cancer sticks.

In fairness to the McGuinty Liberals, I don't discount their claim as to the downstream costs of tobacco use on society in general and our health-care system specifically. In fact, they have probably underestimated this toll. Theirs is a science-based, factual and medically provable argument.

But we also have science-based, factual and medically provable arguments as to the effects of alcohol consumption in terms of kidney and liver disease, not to mention issues of addiction. And when it comes to addiction, what about the impacts of gambling on people, families, lost productivity and its cost to our health-care, policing, social assistance and justice systems? Just think of the lawsuits the government could launch against those industries. Oh oh, oops, think again.

If the Ontario government were to go after the beer, wine and spirits sector for 40 years of health-care costs, who would it sue? Answer: The Beer Store, the LCBO and/or itself given the state-sponsored monopoly on alcohol sales that has existed for the better part of the last half century in our province.

Ditto when it comes to gambling and recouping the consequent health-care costs that have been racked up by those with addictions that stem from, oh oh again, the provincially run and controlled Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Do cigarettes kill? Yes. Have big tobacco and governments of all stripes known this for years? Absolutely. Has it cost our health-care system untold billions? Yep. But the fault here is not to be found with those who farmed, produced or sold a legal product, the fault rests with generations of spineless politicians who refused -- and continue to do so -- to make cigarette production and use illegal and subject to the most stern sanction.

It is likely modern history's most vile act of premeditated and deliberate public-health negligence, courtesy of those we elected. Imagine if we could sue our politicians for this cowardice.