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• A Taste of the West / Developing Countries Come up Against Big Tobacco 

In the Hungarian town of Eger, northeast of Budapest, if you asked directions to its 13th century castle or its famous therapeutic baths the answer might go something like this:

“Head down past the Philip Morris symphonic orchestra, take a left when you see the Philip Morris sponsored county hospital, a few blocks further you should pass the Philip Morris AIDS prevention program, and when you see the Philip Morris homeless shelter you are almost there.”

“This situation is not unique,” says Tibor Szilagyi, Secretary of Health 21 Hungarian Foundation, which raises money for health projects. “It’s happening in many Hungarian cities. Tobacco companies are entering every segment of Hungarian society.” . .

When Philip Morris sponsored an anti-smoking campaign in Hungarian schools in 1996 it used the slogan, “We don’t want our children to smoke. Smoking is an adult habit.” The campaign was a spectacular failure. . .

In struggling countries where people dream of the opportunities in America, billboards offer them, “The Taste of Freedom,” in cigarettes sold in red, white and blue packs.

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Head down past the Philip Morris symphonic orchestra, take a left when you see the Philip Morris sponsored county hospital, a few blocks further you should pass the Philip Morris AIDS prevention program, and when you see the Philip Morris homeless shelter you are almost there.
Hypothetical directions to Eger's (Hungary) 13th century castle. Cuen, L., <I>A Taste of the West / Developing Countries Come up Against Big Tobacco</I>