Unlike well-funded American counterparts, Mackay has taken on the tobacco Goliaths almost alone, financing the offensive with $60,000 from her own pocket. Her success has been remarkable, considering the odds. By lobbying politicians from Seoul to New Delhi, she has helped a handful of Asian governments pass antismoking laws to strengthen warning labels, ban advertisements and stop sales to minors. Even tobacco-industry sources say she is among their most effective opponents.
These days, she is pushing legislation on new fronts like Indonesia and Mongolia. China is next. Prime Minister Li Peng has told her he supports smoking reforms. Her newest ally? The top doctor for China’s People’s Liberation Army, who has asked her how to lower smoking rates in the world’s largest fighting force. Severe nicotine addiction, it seems, has rendered many of his troops unfit for duty.
