AutoblogGreen

1. Isn't this kind of like the approach that cigarette companies used? Shrinking market in the west, so lets get the Chinese hooked.

Posted at 2:36AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Jack S.

2. "Isn't this kind of like the approach that cigarette companies used? Shrinking market in the west, so lets get the Chinese hooked."
Yeah Jack, everything is a conspiracy. I have absolutely no sympathy for smokers - I was one. No one twisted my arm to start smoking and I stopped when I decided it was unhealthy. The Chinese have a free will in that regard and can avoid smoking too. Take responsibility for your actions.

Posted at 10:15AM on Apr 21st 2008 by Whopper

3. Whopper: it's not that simple. In the case of tobacco, cigarette companies have found a number of third-world markets resistant to allowing cigarette imports. They need the third world to offset their decline in the west. A common tactic has been to help organize and fund smugging of cigarettes into the country to establish a market. Then they lobby the government to legalize smoking since so many citizens are already doing it and the government isn't getting the money from taxes it would be able to otherwise. Example:

http://www.globalink.org/en/smuggling.shtml

(section: "The role of the tobacco industry")

The tobacco companies spent *decades* doing what the coal companies and Exxon-Mobil are doing today -- paying any scientist willing to sell out to deliberately falsify data or come up with any legit distortion that portrays the effects of smoking in a good light. Even when they knew that their products were killing people, and openly talked about that fact in their private meetings. It's through this that they earned their nasty reputation that they have today. They also deliberately targetted minors while testifying under oath that they were doing no such thing.

No, nobody made you start or made you stop. But they manipulated the circumstances extensively that led to you being in a situation where you would be encouraged to start and tried to keep you (and others like you) from knowing or believing the harm that smoking caused which could be avoided if you stopped.

Posted at 2:55PM on Apr 21st 2008 by KarenRei

4. So in other words it's not your fault. Does personal responsibility have no place in this world?

Posted at 3:12PM on Apr 21st 2008 by Throwback

5. A nice little bit on schizophrenics and tobacco:

http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2007/08/post_439.html

It is medicine for them

Posted at 5:44PM on Apr 21st 2008 by M. Simon

6. Come on Karen, human beings are blessed with a will that they can choose to exercise, or not. Guns, knives and cigarettes don't kill people, people do through the use or missuse of them. Cell phones don't kill people but a lady driving an SUV while talking on one nearly got me on my motorcycle a few weeks ago. The affects of smoking are patently obvious without the government babysitting you and telling you it is bad.

Posted at 10:52AM on Apr 22nd 2008 by Whopper