Originally posted by yuri31:[..]
as Mark said, it's your own fault if you die of lung cancer caused by smoking.
May I interject here?
Cigarettes kill. Every 8 seconds, somebody dies from tobacco use. And DON"T SAY it's the person's fault either. That's what tobacco companies do. How much do these companies spend on advertising? Billions. They even spend money to advertize against smoking! However those anti smoking ads also get people to smoke. Tobacco is the 2nd biggest marketed product in the world, next to cars. In 2002, $12.47 billion was spent annually, 34 million a day to advertise these cancer sticks. And these advertisements one way or another trick people into smoking. Even Hollywood is in on this. Go watch a movie. Odds are you will see someone smoking.
Plus, cigarrettes are now more addictive. The companies added in 10% more nicotine from 1998-2004. This makes them easier to get addicted to. And this was in 2004. Who knows how much more nicotine is in there now. Tobacco companies are making these products more addictive, and they only care about one thing. Profit. Do they care if you get cancer? Only if you bring your case to court, where they try to blame environmental factors and whatnot. They figure you'll settle for some amount, be happy with the money, and forget the entire thing happened. Well, for one, I care about people, not money. I'm sure we all do as well.
Here's another thing about advertising that'll get ya sick. Tobacco companies are allowed to deduct the cost of advertising and promotion from their taxes as a business expense, which saves them $1 billion plus a year in taxes. And who ends up paying for their promotions? The taxpayer. Is this fair that we have to pay for their advertising which kills people? Think about that word. Kill. Think about the word Murder. Kill/Murder/Kill/Murder. Same thing aren't they if you think about it? So the tobacco industry not only kills people, they murder people. And last time I checked, murder was a felony.
So is it really the person's fault they were subjected to advertising which is practically everywhere? Is it their fault they were subjected to such an addictive product purposely created to get people 'hooked' onto such products? And people smoke everywhere. Are you suggesting I live as a hermit so I don't inhale any smoke? Is it their fault that the person unknowing pays for such advertisings? I don't think so. If Big Tobacco wants to blame someone, the only people they can blame are themselves.