Column by Haresh Daswani
Submit guest columns: [email protected]
To my suppliers of tobacco:
I wish to complain the lack of support tobacco companies have to their clients. We smokers have to endure the hardship of understanding the health risk involved in smoking, the social alienation by society, the discrimination on places we can consume tobacco, the increase in health-insurance cost, and many other burden that smokers constantly face for either choosing or being addicted to tobacco.
Many of use might not have chosen to remain smokers, but quitting has been close to impossible. For those of us who voluntarily choose to continue, it is due to our understanding that perhaps, smoking is not as injurious to health as what may be claimed.
But the lack of support I am talking about is your actions pertaining to how you support smokers. There is no privilege club for smokers, no discount corner for current smokers, no health support, no contact line asking if we are smoking for the wrong reasons. Once you have baited us, we are left alone.
All the money we have spent on cigarettes have been invested on recruiting new smokers to the market. It has been suspected that even the anti-tobacco campaigns designed by tobacco companies actually make cigarette smoking more appealing rather than stop people from smoking. It is just not fair.
With the cost I spend every month on smoking a similar amount with my mobile phone operator gives me great perks. I do not see real justice on a partnership between supplier and user, given that the user is not necessarily in a good position due to choice.
I humbly request that tobacco companies please stop baiting new smokers into your web. It is not as glorifying as it may seem outside. You can’t believe the constant nagging I have to endure from non-smokers about smoking, don’t let others suffer what we smokers now do.
I will remain your loyal user as a voluntary choice, only because I have also made the choice of starting on my own. But I would not recommend others to start the habit, I hope you also do the same on your part and focus your attention on current smokers, throw us a rope, stick to us.
Perhaps, smoking can end with us.
Share
Contributors
