Big Tobacco Company – The Truth is Out

So I’m watching my local network station late the other night when two commercials came one almost simultaneously. Both began the same way with a woman’s voice reading the words as they appeared on the screen, “A Federal Court has ordered Lorillard, Altria, Phillip Morris, and RJ Reynolds Tobacco to make this statement.”  The first one admitted that they knowingly added stuff to cigarettes to make them addictive and that those additives causes cancer, lung disease, heart attacks, and premature death. The second one stated that second- hand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, and premature death. Both ended with, “there is no safe exposure to cigarettes.” Further online research uncovered a third video which addresses the use of low tar and light cigarettes. In essence it was saying they were just as harmful as regular cigarettes and that there was no such thing as a “safe cigarette.”

I’m not sure exactly when in 2006 the Federal Court made this ruling, but their appeal tactics ran its course and they failed to overturn the ruling. So now the ads are coming out. What I want to know is, where and when these ads aired before because I never saw or heard them before? Has anyone else seen these on mainstream media or on any of the major networks, i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX? Seems to me that someone should have sounded the alarm long and hard on this one. With cigarette smoking being so addictive and common among our young people, this information should have been saturated on every network and published on the front page of every local paper.  I don’t smoke and in recent years I discovered my tolerance for cigarette smoke is non-existence, but I learned a few years ago that both my children indulges in this nasty habit. Try as I may to convince them that smoking is bad for them, it falls on deaf ears as most of my advice seems to do. Mostly because they believe I am “old fashioned” and time has changed. I mean I can tell my children the same thing over and over to no avail, but let someone else say the same thing, they act like it’s the first time they are hearing it. Anyway, it is my hope that they will kick the habit, if for no other reason than to preserve their health and extend their lives.  Having this information coming from credible source – cigarette manufacturers themselves – will go a long way to facilitate that end.

This is huge people! Finally the tobacco companies were forced to admit what we knew all long – that cigarette smoke – direct and/or second-hand – poses a health risk, period. I admit there have been times in the past that I tolerated cigarette smoke at the local club all in the name of having a good time, but in recent years I have decided that my health is more important and have forgone the experience altogether. It is an experience I don’t miss. Sure there were times were no one smoked, but then there were times when just one person smoking could ruin it for everyone else. It was basically hit or miss which could add to my stress levels either way, i.e., the anticipation of someone smoking or actually leaving the club smelling like a chimney. 

The smoke gets into your hair and seep into your underwear – so not good. While some establishments have opted to adopt a no smoking policy, i.e., Footprints, others have not, i.e, Vibes. Funny thing is, the same people patronize both these establishments, which says to me that banning smoking in all establishments won’t hurt their bottom-line. Truth is, it is about time that the rules support what is best for the general public’s health. With that being said, it is my hope that city/county officials will make it mandatory that all public places ban smoking. I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?

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