ROSE DITARANTO
LIFE EDITOR

The Ontario government is suing tobacco companies for $50 billion, the amount it estimates to have spent on smoking-related illnesses since 1955.
In an interview with the National Post, Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley said the claim is an attempt to reimburse taxpayer funds dished out over the years to the health-care system as a result of the tobacco industry.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Revenue website, as of Feb. 1, 2006, the Ontario tax rate is 12.35 cents per cigarette sold. Despite my research I have yet to discover where this money goes or what it is used for – nowhere does it state that the money goes into the health-care system.
Ontario argues in the lawsuit that tobacco companies have known for years their product is addictive and dangerous. The province’s stance is these companies have done little to ease the effects of tobacco use and effectively warn consumers of the risks.
It seems to me that the province is trying to have it both ways. It is trying to take more money from the very thing it has continued to tax. Nicotine addiction is not a new phenomenon – tobacco use leading to cancer and other illnesses has been accepted for years. Suing an industry, while at the same time profiting from its taxes, sends a conflicting message to the public. The government must pick one avenue to follow.
According to the Ontario Medical Association website, cigarettes lead to cancer, chronic respiratory illnesses and heart disease. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine and its intake through cigarettes is the most addictive method of delivery – taking under 20 seconds for the drug to reach the brain after inhaled through the lungs.
Is Ontario simply looking for an excuse to earn some extra bucks? The province is trying to convince us the lawsuit is in our best interests, but by pursuing it now after all this time, it is belittling our knowledge instead.
I disapprove of smoking. Not only is it both unhealthy and unattractive, it is now being used by the government for a cash handout. If the province is really trying to lower smoking-related costs to the health-care system, it cannot continue to collect taxes without offering the public an easily accessible explanation as to where the money is being spent. Tobacco companies can’t be taxed and sued. The government must pick one if it hopes to gain support for this lawsuit without seeming completely hypocritical.