An appeals court upheld a prior decision that US tobacco companies (including Phillip Morris) were guilty of lying about health risks of smoking. The ruling could result in a permanent ban of labels such as "low tar" and "light." The point being - while it may be 'lighter' than other cigarettes, they'll still kill ya. No word on whether it will be appealed again or what kind of staying power this ruling will have, but I'm just excited about the trend in the US to call out Big Tobacco for the evil lying bastards they are. I'm not saying people shouldn't be able to smoke, I'm just saying that it needs to be regulated WAY more than it is. Any other product specifically designed to addict you wouldn't last 2 weeks on the shelves but because there's so much $$$ to be made..... we turn the other way. Yet growing a plant with zero arsenic (rat poison) and ammonia artificially added is grounds for time in federal prison - which all of us have to pay for.
Again - I'm not saying "legalize pot" or "ban cigarettes," I'm just sick of the blatant and widespread hypocrisy in this country on the subject. I'm just asking for an honest discussion here.
Read about the ruling on BBC
2 comments:
how telling is it that you chose a foreign article to get the overview on the issue?
ha - great point. Just look at how vague the BBC story is about the US courts and legal process.
More interesting was the complete lack of reporting of the ruling in major US outlets. It barely got mentioned.
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