It’S Comeuppance But Not The Answer Cop-Out Setup Many Will Think, Smoke Now, Sue Later.

CEOs of the tobacco companies looked and sounded evil a few years back when they testified in Congress. One by one, they denied their product was addictive. They were lying and they didn’t seem to care.

In an ideal world, tobacco would be reclassified as a drug or maybe a type of tobacco would be developed that was less harmful, or maybe cigarettes would be something young people smoked for a year and then gave up forever, no harm done. But this is not an ideal world. Tobacco is addictive and can lead to death. That’s why many people applauded a Miami jury’s recent $145 billion judgment against tobacco companies.

The verdict plays well on an emotional level. Evil companies lured the young and unsuspecting into a dangerous habit 50 years ago. Now, those young people are adults sick with lung cancer, emphysema and other terminal diseases. Someone needs to pay. But on an intellectual level, the verdict falls short. First, chances are slim any of those dying smokers will ever collect a dime. Appeals will take years and some of those companies might file for bankruptcy. That would be OK for those who wish all tobacco companies would be extinguished, but as of now, cigarette companies are still legal businesses.

Secondly, and most important, the verdict doesn’t really touch the root cause of tobacco addiction. People choose to smoke. And they can choose to quit (although quitting is quite difficult). Smoking is an informed decision, even for young people. You can’t escape anymore the anti-smoking messages, which often start as early as fourth-grade in some schools.

The $145 billion verdict sends an unfortunate message to young people. Smoke now, while it seems cool. And if you get sick 50 years from now, big deal. Just sue the tobacco companies and collect millions.

The solution to cigarette addiction in this country will take much more than mammoth jury verdicts. It will take tobacco companies that are honest about their deadly product and honest about not marketing to young people. And it will take millions of individuals saying no when offered that first cigarette. And it will take millions more women and men working hard at the painful process of quitting a pleasant habit that eventually kills.