MS Pamela J. Dunn's letter regarding tobacco advertising (South China Morning Post, December 4), is nothing short of a statement of self-interest. The fundamental issue at stake is that the Hong Kong Government not only has a right but an obligation to act in the interests of public health and ban all tobacco advertising. No freedoms are absolute. The tobacco industry has long abused its so-called freedom to advertise by trying to seduce young people to take up an addictive behaviour which will eventually kill half of them prematurely. No one is talking about advertising bans of other products because no other legal product is as lethal as tobacco. The advertising industry and the tobacco industry that supports it, does not provide 'knowledge of products' to the public as Ms Dunn claims. They simply place the required government health warnings and, to their shame, not even these are included in developing countries where governments do not require them. The public deserves better information than the images portrayed by tobacco advertisements which are of healthy, attractive and successful people. Reality would be represented by showing the two Marlboro men who died of lung cancer in the final stages of the disease or others like those stricken with emphysema, chronic bronchitis or heart disease all caused by their addiction to tobacco. The Government of Hong Kong must not be swayed by the lobbying of wealthy interest groups whose bottom line is profit not the health and welfare of this community. Dr CAROL L BETSON Chairperson People Acting for a Smokeless Society (PASS)
