NEW SMOKERS

Sir: Your report "Synod call to ban tobacco adverts" (8 July) made no
comment on the part of the motion backed by the Church of England General
Synod which "deplores...aggressive marketing of tobacco in the Third
World".

It seems obvious that the only reason the share prices of all tobacco
companies have not crashed is that the companies can easily replace lost
sales and profits in the world's developing, and unregulated, markets.
Diana, Princes of Wales, championed the campaign to ban the export of land
mines. Where now are the champions to ban the export of tobacco, which will
maim and kill many millions more than land mines?

Currently, about 3.5 million die of smoking every year. By the 2025 this
figure will have risen to 10 million. Hundreds of thousands will be still
dying in Europe and the US but these will be dwarfed by the mortality
numbers in China, India and Africa.

Philip Isherwood, London WN7

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)