Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tobacco Companies

So the government of Ontario is suing major tobacco companies with a 50 billion dollar lawsuit! This lawsuit was made to recover health care costs of tobacco related illnesses dating back to 1955 . One of the major tobacco companies that is getting sued is Imperial Cigarettes, their spokesperson Eric Gagnon had this to say about the suit, "This is a legal product and we do it in the way the government dictates us to do it". Does he have a point? So what i don't understand is if they are selling their product within government guidelines why are they getting sued? By regulating tobacco products the government is supporting the tobacco industry. They know the dangers of tobacco...everyone does. Why would you then sue these companies if your in fact supporting them.

This lawsuit isn't all about the government its also about the people who are consuming the products. Because of that I feel that this is a never needing cycle. What I mean by this is that the consumers are the ones that are keeping the tobacco industry alive. If people are still buying it then its going to get produced but if theres no demand then theres no production. Due to the many years of evidence and research the causes of tobacco have become common knowledge. Because of this evidence the Ontario government has had to control the way cigarettes are sold and displayed. However even with all of these 'obstacles' it is not enough to stop this industry from getting to the customers.

Going back on my earlier point of tobacco being a regulated product. The Ontario government should then not sue the tobacco companies on account of, it is still a government regulated product. Its like suing the liquor board of Ontario for alcohol related illnesses and deaths. Therefore before suing tobacco companies, the government should just stop regulating the products.

Who should be held responsible then? I say Everyone! First off its the tobacco companies for selling a product that causes harm to their customers, the government for regulating these harmful products, and the customers who are keeping this product alive!


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2 comments:

  1. Lucas VanBeekNovember 5, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    WOW! 50 billion dollars, thats a lot of money!

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  2. AnonymousNovember 17, 2009 at 6:58 AM

    While this lawsuit on the Tobacco Companies does make me smile, I don't think it is helpful. I agree with you that if the public would stop smoking cigarettes the industry would die. Clearly they get a lot of business or they wouldn't hold on to the market. I also think the 50 billion the provincial could gain in the lawsuit would be very helpful in providing care for patients who did suffer from tobacco use, I don't think this will cure the problem. The answer is simple... the public needs to stop smoking and cancel out the demand for the product. Then the tobacco companies would disappear... but this is easier said then done.

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