Every year, more then 400,000 American deaths
are attributed to smoking. It’s banned in restaurants,
workplaces and other public areas. It’s illegal for
cigarettes to be sold to anyone under 18. Yet even
with all the loss of customers by death, tobacco companies
still manage to make a profit.
How do they do it? There are numerous laws against
smoking. In 1998, a law passed that made it illegal to
smoke in bars. An internal Philip Morris document states,
"[The] financial impact of smoking bans will be tremendous
- three to five fewer cigarettes per day per smoker will
reduce annual manufacturer profits a billion dollars plus
per year." In an effort to keep their customers smoking,
the companies trick the public with lies and loopholes.
Their goal is to slow the antismoking movement and keep
people smoking—to get more profits.
What about the health of non-smokers?
Reports from 1993 state second-hand smoke causes
lung cancer and respiratory diseases. The same
findings have been concluded by a hundred other
major studies, and still the tobacco industry says the
results are flawed.
A Philip Morris inside report from 1987
discussed how anti-smoking movements and price
increases prevented 600,000 teens from taking up smoking.
In 1979, a memo noted that “Marlboro dominates in
the 17 and younger age category…” and in ’78 “…the
base of our business is the high school student…”.
Even with these companies’ lies and tricks to get
around antismoking laws, they still try to sell their
products to children. Who could blame them,
considering their product kills more than 2,000 of their
American customers a day? They need to replace these
consumers quickly, and what easier way to do so than
convince impressionable teens that smoking is the ‘cool’
thing to do? Hey, it keeps the profits coming!
Antismoking movements are just beginning to be heard.
With a product that kills more Americans than AIDS,
alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, illegal drugs,
and fires combined, no law can be too strict. So,
when you see a tobacco ad, are offered a cigarette,
or have the choice whether or not to smoke, remember
that tobacco companies are greedy money-grubbers. No matter
who you are, you’re just another dollar sign in the eyes of
Philip Morris.
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