The future shouldn't be built on tobacco money

Source:Global Times Published: 2009-12-15 4:02:02

By Wu Meng

In the wake of the 5/12 earthquake in Sichuan Province last year, different "Hope Schools" emerged in the area for homeless children and orphans.

Among these schools, one has drawn particular attention. It is named after the province's Tobacco Company – Sichuan Tobacco Hope Primary School. More astonishing is the school's proclamation: Determine to devote ourselves to society. Tobacco helps you achieve your goal.

Should the students appreciate Sichuan Tobacco company's generous help and remember it as their benefactor? Since the students may not really understand the harm that tobacco does to society, the image of this tobacco company will stay with them as a helping hand for which they should be grateful.

The donation has triggered a big controversy in China. Since January 9, 2006, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – the world's first treaty aimed at cutting tobacco-related deaths – is in force in China. It bans tobacco advertising in China.

But in the absence of a clear definition, there is no restriction on soft advertising and donations. That leaves a gray area, which makes it hard to decide whether it is morally right to accept donations from tobacco companies.

 

In the US, where the tobacco industry has a long history of sponsorships, more and more universities and institutions have decided to reject large donations and grants from tobacco companies on moral grounds.

It is reported that historically, the tobacco industry has given a lot of money to institutions and used its money to control research and to get the results the industry desires. Therefore, in order to protect their academic integrity and independence, most universities have turned down sponsorships from tobacco companies.

The Sichuan Hope School case may seem irrelevant to academic integrity and independent research. After all, they are just students who, at this early stage of their life, may not be called upon to exercise a choice as to what is morally right or wrong. Such donations would inevitably leave a good impression of the tobacco company on the young minds.

When they grow to realize the effect that tobacco has on society, they would then be trapped in a situation where either social values or their own gratefulness has to be compromised.

Raising awareness about the impact of tobacco company sponsorship and its link to tobacco use is important for restricting such sponsorship.

The public should be made aware that the adverse side effects of accepting such donations are more far-reaching than the direct benefits they bring.

The government cannot shrug off this responsibility. There should be a line drawn against soft and surrogate advertising by tobacco companies, leaving no room for presumptions about what is permissible.



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