I had the pleasure of helping some more smokers in Liverpool get out of the smoking trap today. We talked briefly about the amount of brainwashing which occurs and latent advertising through tools such as product placement.
Which reminds me, I felt like some mindless cinema last night so I went with a friend to go and see Hangover 2 - the first one was hilarious and I was looking forward to it.
Don't waste your money, never have I seen such an insipid sequel.
To add insult to injury (to my wallet) I was appalled to see the blatant glamourisation of smoking and implied abuse when a monkey was seen smoking. The monkey was made to look 'cute' smoking, a blatant message to potential young users that smoking is cool and harmless.
On top of this there appeared to be no concern whatsoever for the abuse of the money character who wasn't making an informed choice about smoking.
It's all made to seem so trivial - if you know me you know that irreverence is my middle name but this is trivialising a drug which kills 130,000 a year in the UK. Of course, the tobacco industry is aware that it eventually kills off its own consumers so it spends millions on stunts like these aimed at making smoking looking cool and cute and therefore attracting young new drug addicts.
As usual, they have blood on their hands.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
British American Tobacco
I note with some interest that BAT have admitted to funding the National Federation of Retail Newsagents' high profile campaign against a government ban on cigarette displays in shops.
In a letter to Labour MP Kevin Barron, BAT confirmed: "We have provided financial assistance to the NFRN in relation to this campaign." However, BAT denied it used "underhand tactics" or that the federation was a front for the company.
This nightmare goes on. There is no other product available in the UK which, if you follow the instructions for consumption will kill half of its consumers.
Under international guidelines, the UK government is obliged to ensure the drafting of all legislation is free from tobacco industry influence.
BAT's admission has prompted Barron to write to the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, warning the government's commitment to tobacco control "is being undermined by covert lobbying by the tobacco industry".
I had a client this week who took the option of attending our second booster session as provided under the money back guarantee of Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking. This lady visited me at my home as she had to have the session so as not to alert her partner, who does not know she still smokes.
She is intelligent and successful but DESPERATE to stop smoking. A 40 year old woman in tears at the thought of continuing to smoke, leading a life secret from her partner.
Yet still these legalised drug dealers continue to do whatever it takes to encourage smokers to take more drugs in the full knowledge that it will eventually kill them.
If that shouldn't be described as 'criminal' - I don't know what should.
In a letter to Labour MP Kevin Barron, BAT confirmed: "We have provided financial assistance to the NFRN in relation to this campaign." However, BAT denied it used "underhand tactics" or that the federation was a front for the company.
This nightmare goes on. There is no other product available in the UK which, if you follow the instructions for consumption will kill half of its consumers.
Under international guidelines, the UK government is obliged to ensure the drafting of all legislation is free from tobacco industry influence.
BAT's admission has prompted Barron to write to the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, warning the government's commitment to tobacco control "is being undermined by covert lobbying by the tobacco industry".
I had a client this week who took the option of attending our second booster session as provided under the money back guarantee of Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking. This lady visited me at my home as she had to have the session so as not to alert her partner, who does not know she still smokes.
She is intelligent and successful but DESPERATE to stop smoking. A 40 year old woman in tears at the thought of continuing to smoke, leading a life secret from her partner.
Yet still these legalised drug dealers continue to do whatever it takes to encourage smokers to take more drugs in the full knowledge that it will eventually kill them.
If that shouldn't be described as 'criminal' - I don't know what should.
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