Clearing The Air

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) sent me an email requesting my story on how tobacco has affected my life

The following was my reply:

I can't say that tobacco has affected my life, but I can tell you that tobacco control activists have affected my life in a VERY NEGATIVE way.

My career of 15 years, selling Smokeeter air filtration equipment to bars and restaurants came to an abrupt end once the debate for smoking bans began. As an independent sales professional my unemployment came without benefits or insurance of any kind. Once bar and restaurant owners no longer needed my employer's air filtration equipment and services, I was relieved of my job and duties without so much as a thank you, back in 6/2005. It took 9 months before I finally became gainfully employed again.

During that time period of being unemployed, without the ability to continue making car payments my vehicle quickly fell into repossession status, and eventually was surrendered. Without the ability to continue making child support payments a family court judge decided I was in contempt and ordered me to jail. Without the ability to continue making mortgage payments our home quickly fell into foreclosure status, the sheriff's sale occurred on May 5, 2006, and we were evicted from our home on November 1, 2006.

Thousands of hospitality industry workers are affected in a very similar manner. And the fact that anti-tobacco groups are apathetic to the hardships they cause is indicative of their concern for the health and welfare of the general public.....it is non existent.

Concern for health and welfare is not part of the tobacco control movement which includes CTFK.......their primary concern is another $70 million from pharmaceutical nicotine groups like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF):

http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/resources/grantsreport.jsp?filename=035929.htm&pid=1141&gsa=1

And that's how tobacco (control) has affected my life.

RWJF is a division of the Johnson & Johnson Company which manufactures Nicoderm & Nicoderm CQ. RWJF is also one of the largest shareholders of J & J stock (approx. $5 billion worth of J & J shares). Lobbying lawmakers to ban the use of cigarettes (smoking bans) has less to do with health concerns than it does to ensure healthy sales of substitute nicotine products like Nicoderm & Nicoderm CQ.