After becoming a lifetime member of the world-renowned Non-Smokers' Rights Association about 20 years ago and attending several NSRA AGMs and various and sundry anti-tobacco conferences over the years, I'm proud to call Gar a friend.

Again, congratulations Gar, on having the Order of Canada recently bestowed upon you. You have been, you are and you will no doubt continue to be one of the biggest reasons why the good guys are winning the War on Tobacco.

Errol E. Povah
President, Airspace Action on Smoking & Health

Airspace press release

Anti-tobacco group says, "Enough is enough!"

Vancouver, BC - Airspace Action on Smoking & Health, Canada's leading all-volunteer anti-tobacco organization, is calling on governments of the world to unite in a global effort to completely eradicate the multi-billion dollar, multi-national tobacco industry from the face of the planet.

"It's time to take off the kid gloves - and we're proud to be the first major anti-tobacco organization to call for this eradication - a call which will likely be met with some skepticism and opposition, even within the mainstream anti-tobacco movement," said the group's president, Errol Povah.

And, like all cancers, the nicotine cartel itself must be eradicated! That's right, eradicated!

As I said in my statement to the court, near the end of my trial 10 years ago (quoting a doctor with the World Health Organization [WHO]): "There can never be a peaceful co-existence between the tobacco industry and the world health community." One of them has to go... and let me assure you, the world health community isn't going anywhere.

If the coming year is anything like 2006, 2007 will, indeed, be one of the best years ever for 'our side' in the War on Tobacco.  And we're very proud to tell our members and supporters that your organization -- Airspace Action on Smoking & Health, Canada's leading all-volunteer anti-tobacco organization - was (and will continue to be) at the forefront of many of those victories, both locally and globally.

At the time of this writing (January 1), 2007 is already off to an extremely good start... largely because, right or wrong, this is a date that many jurisdictions choose to implement and/or 'beef up' No Smoking laws... but more on that later.

"The industry has been aware at least since the 1960s that cigarettes contain significant levels of polonium."

This is the start of an op-ed piece by Robert N. Proctor, published in the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Supposedly representing all 6 million* (give or take a million or two) Canadian smokers -- a huge percentage of whom, it must be noted, actively support tough smoking controls -- this '6-pack' of idi... I mean, individuals.. represented their puppet-masters at the nicotine cartel quite well. Hey, come on, "Tobacco control is out of control!" is pretty creative and catchy! If I were a snake-in-the-grass nicotine cartel executive, I'd certainly send those people a few thousand bucks for their efforts... for doing our dirty work for us. A small price to pay, indeed! And it certainly wouldn't be the first such cheque the cartel has sent out to its puppets. In fact, the list of cartel blood money recipients is truly long and distinguished (Sylvester Stallone being one of the more notable recipients of at least $500,000 US on one occasion).

In any case, tobacco control will only be out of control the day it goes beyond prohibiting smokers from smoking anywhere that their smoke drifts and affects innocent bystanders! Let me assure you, as one of the most "radical", "fanatical" and "militant" anti-tobacco "zealots" (just a few of the politer adjectives that have been hurled in my direction) you'll ever encounter, I have absolutely no interest in restricting smoking beyond the point where it only affects the user. And I'll challenge anyone who does.

This film is being shown by CBC Newsworld in the Pacific time zone at midnight and 4 PM. If you don't get CBC Newsworld, or neither of these times are convenient for you, you can watch the program online by going to http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/denialmachine/.

A letter sent to, and not published by, the Vancouver Sun.

While I have not yet seen all of the details of the recently-announced provincial No Smoking policy, it appears to be off to a rather rocky start.

In the very first paragraph of "Restaurants allowed smoking patios" (Nov 7), Health Minister George Abbott not only attempts to make some sort of a distinction between designated smoking rooms and patios (they're all smoke pits!), but he completely destroys the much-sought-after "level playing field" that is so absolutely critical to the success of any No Smoking law.

Then he creates a little more confusion by suggesting that there's a link between "ban[ning] smoking altogether" and "make[ing] tobacco illegal," when, in fact, the two are as different as night and day.

Given all that is now known about second-hand tobacco smoke, banning smoking altogether (in all public places and workplaces, including patios and entranceways, in parks, on beaches, on all school property and in all multi-unit housing [apartments and condos], etc.) is completely reasonable. Such bans have nothing whatsoever to do with WHAT anybody does (in this case, smoke); it is solely and exclusively about WHERE they do it and, even more importantly, WHERE the smoke goes. And the government has the right and, in fact, the duty/obligation to protect its citizens from such a hazard.

Making tobacco illegal, on the other hand, is something that neither I nor any anti-tobacco activist I know (and I know dozens of them, from all over the world) has ever suggested. To attempt to make a product that millions of people are addicted to illegal would result in unimaginable chaos... from riots to civil disobedience to smuggling and/or an instant black market, etc.

Many others before Abbott have falsely implied that there's a link between banning smoking and the dreaded 'P' word: Prohibition. What we are trying to achieve, in terms of tobacco control, is not at all like the (not-surprisingly) failed experiment of prohibition, which was clearly intended to rid the U.S. of alcohol entirely.

And finally, I loved the part of (Ivanhoe co-owner) Chris Gock's comment, where he said that, "There are guys who almost live in those smoking rooms..." (emphasis mine) First, it's funny to see the word "live" in connection with a product that is directly responsible for so much disease, disability and premature death; being preceded by the word "almost" makes it even funnier.

Sincerely,

Errol E. Povah

As instigator of the proposed smoking ban in White Rock, columnist John Martin, implies I am a "righteous bully in a regulatory jihad."

But every person should enjoy the maximum freedom possible.

So what happens when smoking in public causes someone else discomfort or harm?

The common assumption seems to be that smoke outdoors simply disappears -- no harm, no foul. But as smoking diners indulge their nicotine addiction on a patio, the breeze takes their smoke past the faces of others and often blows it into the restaurant's open windows or door.

Perhaps Martin's opinions would be different if he had asthma, a heart condition or understood the proven risk to children and expectant mothers.

Smoke kills over five times as many as the sum of all car accidents, murders and drugs.

Though historical tolerance blinds us from it, nicotine addiction has huge impacts on our quality of life.

Someone's nicotine addiction should not take priority over everyone else's health.

Coun. Matt Todd
White Rock

Michael Smyth of The Province had this to say, with regard to the Campbell government's decision in 2001 to permit smoking rooms in pubs: "Let's get real: This was a cave-in to the Liberal Party's political supporters in the hospitality industry. Politics was more important to them than the health of British Columbians, hundreds of whom die every year from diseases related to second-hand smoke. Thousands more get sick. You'll probably hear some griping from the industry in the coming days about Campbell's decision to get rid of these smoking rooms. Tough... The bottom line: This announcement is better late than never. But it's shameful that Campbell didn't do the right thing when he had the chance five years ago to save thousands of people from being exposed to these deadly poisons."

Here's the entire column: Premier better late than never with all-out ban

Here's a response from Airspace:

Dear Editor:

Huge smoke-free kudos to Michael Smyth for "Premier better late than never with all-out ban" (Nov 5).

Given this government's overtly tobacco-friendly stance over the last 5 1/2 years, we are extremely cautiously optimistic about Gordon Campbell's announcement. As the Clean Air Coalition's Jack Boomer responded, "It's all about enforcement, making sure these policies are enacted and enforced."

Campbell appears to be on the right track by banning smoking on all school property (good riddance, smoke pits!) but if he's serious about reducing youth smoking, his next step should be drafting legislation which would outlaw the possession of tobacco by anyone under 19.

Errol E. Povah
President, Airspace Action on Smoking & Health

Here's a response from another Airspace member to the Penticton Herald:

Gordon Campbell had the opportunity to do the right thing five years ago and chose instead to capitulate to hospitality sector demands that it not be required to provide safe working conditions for employees or adhere to necessary measures to protect public health. This in turn led many bar owners to ignore readily available information on the ineffectiveness of ventilation technology in protecting people from the health risks of secondhand smoke and make a huge investment that they now feel was made in vain.

The human right of British Columbians to protect their health and have safe access to venues purporting to be open to the public was sacrificed to misconceptions that the hospitality industry would collapse unless it were permitted to cater primarily to the whims of the 15% of British Columbians who still smoke.

The taxes smokers pay do not even come close to compensating us for the problems they create for us all, so please do not cry me that river. The cost of self-inflicted illness is only a portion of the issue: there is the extensive harm caused by secondhand smoke to other people's health; infringement of the human right to protect one's health; limitations on access to employment, housing, and a normal life; the ubiquitous smoking-related litter; ruining everyone's general quality of life; and preventable fires caused by negligent smoking and all of the suffering and loss that those cause.

The argument about general pollution is illogical, like saying that we should be allowed to kick people because so many are hit by cars every day, and being kicked is not as bad as being run over. Would Tim Coy argue that we should stop investigating assaults until we have put an end to all dangerous driving?

Still, Mr. Coy may be satisfied to know that even if Premier Gordon Campbell's stated intention to upgrade British Columbia's current pretense at having smoking regulations is actually implemented or enforced in two years' time, we will still have the weakest regulations in Canada of any province or territory that has any tobacco-related legislation at all.

Sera Kirk

More details in the November 7 Vancouver Sun: Restaurants allowed smoking patios, by Pamela Fayerman