MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile's “Marlboro man” leads anti tobacco campaign

Chile's new “Marlboro Man” is Don Miguel, 70, a former cigarette addict and cancer survivor whose larynx was removed ten years ago.

A photograph of Don Miguel revealing the hole in his throat, along with a warning about the dangers of smoking, will cover half the surface area of all cigarette boxes sold in Chile within three months.

Miguel was an anti-smoking activist long before the Health Ministry asked him to be the poster boy for its campaign to cut back Chile's tobacco consumption, the highest in Latin America. Monday marked the start of the campaign with a new government prohibition against smoking in public places and the sale of cigarettes to minors under 18, as well as regulations on tobacco advertising.

Speaking through a tube in his throat, Miguel has given his personal history to thousands of high school students across Chile, telling them about his experiences and regrets as a smoker of 22 years. The impact of smoking on his life is far from abstract; Miguel lost his ability to taste and smell and now wears a shawl wrapped around his neck to hide the tracheostoma that makes up for his missing larynx.

Amid frequent pauses to cough, Miguel asked middle school students at the Altamira school in Peñalolén, "Why does a student at your age put the first cigarette in his or mouth?" The responses varied from curiosity to the desire to imitate others or appear older, all of which Miguel empathizes with and relates to his experiences.

At every lecture Miguel recounts a conversation he had with his doctor after the doctor told him he had cancer. "I explained to him that I had quit smoking more than 20 years ago, but the doctor insisted that I still hadn't quit because the smokers around me were doing me damage without them or me realizing it. He said I had only changed the kind of smoking I did. Before, I was an active smoker; after quitting, I was a passive smoker."

The new Chilean law passed in May goes hand in hand with Miguel's outreach to youth. Since 37% of Chile's youth under 15 report smoking daily several of the new law's measures are aimed directly at the under-18 demographic. In addition to outlawing sales to youth under the age of 18, cigarettes are prohibited within 100 meters of elementary and middle schools, and within 300 meters of high schools. Education and prevention are also on the agenda. By March 2007 all schools will teach students the dangers of smoking.

Chile is only the third country in South America - after Brazil and Uruguay - to impose significant restrictions on cigarette use and distribution. Chile spends 1.5 billion US dollars per year on tobacco-related health costs.

Just two days after implementation of the new law, which prohibits smoking in malls, cinemas, and all other public places, an El Mercurio investigation found that smokers were already cutting back by an average of two cigarettes per day. The long-term impact of the government's campaign remains to be seen.

By Renata Stepanov The Santiago Times - News about Chile