Drop Out While You’re Still Ahead

A 2006 District of Columbia court case ruled that cigarette companies were guilty of hiding their product’s dangers, and that they had to publicize those effects in the media. The industry is now appealing the decision.

But several courts have upheld the original ruling, and there’s a slim chance the Supreme Court will rule differently.

Lawyers representing the tobacco industry are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Their choices? Either settle in court and report the dangers of their clients’ deadly products or continue fighting the government, take their case to the Supreme Court and possibly lose billions. Industry lawyers have hinted they may stop fighting.

Good call.

Everyone’s most hated suits would be devastated if they lost the case and had to shell out $200 billion to the government — but that wouldn’t necessarily make anyone more aware of the dangers of tobacco.

Cigarette companies are among the most vilified of businesses, but they’re still an industry (almost) like any other; they provide invaluable jobs and livelihoods. Cigarette corporations should certainly own up to past failures, but for the industry today to take such a huge blow for mistakes made half a century ago would be unfairly damaging to all those who now rely on our tobacco addiction to make a living.

— Angela Chen

Senior Staff Writer

Yeah, So Smoking Is Bad

No matter who is responsible for funding yet another public-awareness tobacco-kills campaign, both should be aware they’ll have to get damn crafty to earn a second glance.

Although tobacco giants have been convicted of hiding the dangers of their product for decades, the days of workplace ashtrays and high-school smoke pits are well behind us, and it’s not much of a secret anymore that smoking kills. The token foreboding image of an old woman sliding a cigarette into the circular cut-out in her throat has lost most of its shock value, and there’ve been enough viral campaigns and prohibitive state laws to ensure no one’s in the dark.

Targeting young, impressionable children and adolescents through television advertisements and public school programs may well still be worth the effort. But at the end of the day, a campaign’s only as good as its audience is receptive — and the continued popularity of cigarettes suggests we’re not as open-eared as the government might like.

— Trevor Cox

Opinion Editor

Industry Men Should Pony Up

Industries that cheat consumers out of their money are common — we do live in America, after all. But those which have historically swindled millions of buyers out of their lives shouldn’t get off the hook without appropriate financial retribution.

Despite the fact that tobacco companies have been supplying people with jobs, the history of false advertisements on which the entire industry thrives justifies a government-catalyzed setback.

The economy may be in shambles, but we should still hang onto some scrap of human dignity, and realize that tobacco breadwinners are about as innocent and deserving of their profits as a crack-dealing neighbor who sells to anyone and everyone. It’s about time these fat cats hung their heads, reached into their pockets and humbly funded a government-sponsored anti-smoking campaign. And they better like it.

— Kelsey Marrujo

Senior Staff Writer