This just angers me to no end

[Mickey527]

This was in my city newspaper today. Although I am sure the woman has many bills, I think it is just ridiculous.
I know so many people who have died cancer related deaths. I dealt with cancer and the chemo caused neuropathy and I can no longer work as a nurse. I never smoked a day in my life, but I still got cancer.
Who can I sue? Who can my friends families sue? No one, we have to deal with this alone.
This woman got $8 million dollars from the tobacco company because she CHOSE to smoke.
She is younger than I am. I remember reading those warnings that cigarette smoking can be hazardous to your health, but did she stop? She also said her foster parents gave her cigarettes for rewards. Did she sue the foster family or the system?
I hold no regard for the tobacco industry but where do they think this money is going to come from? Not the tobacco company, it will somehow come from the general public.


http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Jury-in-tobacco-case-awards-smoker-8-million-503132.php

 

[aduck126]

yah thats annoying. nobody forced her to smoke she should not get anything, what a dead beat.

 

[M5ward]

No one is responsible for their actions anymore. Warnings on cigarette packages started in the 1960s which is well before this woman started smoking. The jury should be ashamed of their verdict.

 

[Scurvy]

That is ridiculous. I hate the tobacco companies, but the woman chose to smoke, knowing the risks. She chose poorly. No one else is responsible for her choice, and no one else should pay for it. The only people who should win anything in a case like this are the ones who started smoking before all the risks were known and the warnings were on the packages. Anyone who started smoking after that knew what could happen and chose to do it anyway, and shouldn't be rewarded for that decision.

 

[DebbieB]

I don't think the public will have to pay this, there's no reason for it to come out of public funds. I noticed when I was sitting at a light tonight next to a gas station that they had a sign for a pack of cigs for $5.85! Yikes! So the tobacco industry has plenty to pay it. I doubt she will see it anytime soon, this will be appealed.

 

[luvmy3]

I don't think the public will have to pay this, there's no reason for it to come out of public funds. I noticed when I was sitting at a light tonight next to a gas station that they had a sign for a pack of cigs for $5.85! Yikes! So the tobacco industry has plenty to pay it. I doubt she will see it anytime soon, this will be appealed.

FYI the price of cigarettes are so high because of taxes

 

[Sparx]

They did say both parties are at fault, one for making the dangerous cigarettes and one for smoking them. The way the article reads it sounds like people think this is going to be a blow to the cigarette companies in the long run. This could be like when everyone decided to go sue McDonalds because they were fat. That definitely put the company in a bad light for a long time and they have had to react by offering "healthier" options. Their action rippled through all fast food restaurants and can still be seen today. I think in the long run this lawsuit may be helpful towards bringing down the big tobacco companies, or at least get the ball rolling in that direction.

 

[LadyZolt]

The difference here is that if you use cigarettes the way they are intended to be used, you can get serious health issues and could even die.

If you drink alcohol, or eat at McDonald's, or things like that, the alcohol company or McDonald's could reasonably argue that there are good benefits to their products.

There is no good benefit to cigarettes.

I do understand that they're legal, but I think that's mainly because of the tobacco lobbies. If I were to create a product today that has the same properties as tobacco, I am positive that the government would not allow it to be legalized.

I think that the jury in this case is sending a message to tobacco companies -- if they lose enough money, they will stop making tobacco products and go into some other line of work. The only reason to be in business is to make money, so if they don't actually make any money, maybe they'll stop making a product that has absolutely no redeeming qualities to it.

-Dorothy

 

[kaytieeldr]

I would like to go on record: I smoke. Should I contract any fatal condition related to smoking, I hereby cede all rights to sue ANY entity for anything related to that condition.

 

[Sparx]

The difference here is that if you use cigarettes the way they are intended to be used, you can get serious health issues and could even die.

If you drink alcohol, or eat at McDonald's, or things like that, the alcohol company or McDonald's could reasonably argue that there are good benefits to their products.

There is no good benefit to cigarettes.

I do understand that they're legal, but I think that's mainly because of the tobacco lobbies. If I were to create a product today that has the same properties as tobacco, I am positive that the government would not allow it to be legalized.

I think that the jury in this case is sending a message to tobacco companies -- if they lose enough money, they will stop making tobacco products and go into some other line of work. The only reason to be in business is to make money, so if they don't actually make any money, maybe they'll stop making a product that has absolutely no redeeming qualities to it.

-Dorothy

And McDonalds never lost a case like that which was filed against them. Still, the company faced a lot of scrutiny in the media for pushing 500 calorie orders of fries, and has had to retaliate in a manner to save its face. McDonalds actions (even after never losing to one of these "i got fat" lawsuits) have spread throughout the entire fast food industry. This tobacco company just lost, and this will definitely be a blow to their media coverage.

 

[Planogirl]

Can I hit myself with a hammer and sue the maker of the hammer because it harmed me? To me this case follows the same logic.

 

[mr.alec]

yah thats annoying. nobody forced her to smoke she should not get anything, what a dead beat.

yep..nuff said

 

[FireDancer]

I despise cigarettes and was involved in getting the legislation that limited where you can smoke in Ohio. I think it is ridiculous that people with free will smoke and then sue the maker of the product they knowing used for causing ill health effects. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to smoke. It is a choice to start, a choice to continue, and a choice to quit or not.

Along with choice comes responsibility and consequences and both should be accepted as a side effect of the choices we make, good or bad. If one chooses to stop at McDonald's and order a 500lb disaster on a bun they can do so but don't blame McDonald's. It is just as easy to pass right on by and keep driving. The same goes for cigarettes. When someone passes you one and says would you like to try no is just as easy to say as yes, it is even a shorter word.

I am not sure if it is the plaintiff, the jury, or the environment we have that absolves people of blame for their own decisions that I despise most.

All that being said I don't think it will hurt the image of cigarette companies. Everyone know what they are and the dangers of the products they make. It isn't like they were just found to be selling children's toys with lead paint and roofies in them.

 

[LadyZolt]

I think it is ridiculous that people with free will smoke and then sue the maker of the product they knowing used for causing ill health effects. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to smoke. It is a choice to start, a choice to continue, and a choice to quit or not. .... People can choose to smoke or not. ....

Tobacco companies have marketed their product to young people -- children and teens. When I was a child, there were "candy cigarettes" -- white sticks with red ends that we'd pretend to smoke as it was a "grown up thing." Nicotine is *addicting*. It is the arguably one of the most addictive substances on Earth. One can become addicted to it, unknowingly, with just a few uses of it. Many people who have both been hooked on heroine and also smoked cigarettes have said that quitting cigarettes was harder to do than quitting heroine.

The American Heart Association website says, "Nicotine is an addictive drug. It causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present — and the bad feelings when it's absent — make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break."

I smoked for 25 years myself, so I know one can quit if one truly wants to. However, while no one is holding a gun to your head and it is a choice to start, most smokers will tell you that it is *a living hell* to continue. Your fingers turn yellow. You lose teeth. Your hair stinks. You have shortness of breath. You cough. You get winded easier than when you didn't smoke. You struggle through long airline flights as you can't wait for your next "fix" of tobacco. Some smokers lose limbs due to restricted oxygen flow. Go sit outside the hospital and see people hooked up to oxygen yet still puffing away on a cigarette. It is *not a choice* to continue to smoke. It is an addiction and I don't know any 20+ year smokers who say "Gee, this is fun. I love smoking. I wish I started smoking sooner. I hope all my kids and everyone I know starts smoking because it is so wonderful."

No. Most smokers got addicted in their youth -- most before age 21. Most before it was even legal for them to purchase tobacco. I'm not saying that I think the woman in this lawsuit should get millions of dollars, but I am saying that tobacco is so bad for people, which we now know, that it should be outlawed. I suppose there will always be a street market for it, like there is for heroine and other currently illegal drugs, but it would make it harder to hook the teens as it would be harder for them to purchase it.

Remember, too, that Coca Cola used to have cocaine in it, and other drugs used to be available to buy and now they're not because they were found to be dangerous. The only reason tobacco hasn't been outlawed is because of the strong tobacco lobby.

-Dorothy

 

[Darsa]

I despise cigarettes and was involved in getting the legislation that limited where you can smoke in Ohio. I think it is ridiculous that people with free will smoke and then sue the maker of the product they knowing used for causing ill health effects. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to smoke. It is a choice to start, a choice to continue, and a choice to quit or not.

Along with choice comes responsibility and consequences and both should be accepted as a side effect of the choices we make, good or bad. If one chooses to stop at McDonald's and order a 500lb disaster on a bun they can do so but don't blame McDonald's. It is just as easy to pass right on by and keep driving. The same goes for cigarettes. When someone passes you one and says would you like to try no is just as easy to say as yes, it is even a shorter word.

Yep, I agree with every word here. I have never been able to understand the draw of pulling chemical-laden smoke (yeah, the stuff people die of more often in a house fire) into something as important to their continued sirvival as their lungs. And, I truly CANNOT stand people who try to blame others for something that is completely and totally their own decision. I have wondered in the past, if advertising companies made jumping off an overpass sound cool, how many people would do it. Reminds me of "herd mentality"; you have BRAINS people, USE 'em!!

It's nice to see that there ARE other people out there besides my DD and myself, who feel this way about cigarettes. Sometimes it seemed as though I'm the only one...

 

[luvsJack]

Tobacco companies have marketed their product to young people -- children and teens. When I was a child, there were "candy cigarettes" -- white sticks with red ends that we'd pretend to smoke as it was a "grown up thing." Nicotine is *addicting*. It is the arguably one of the most addictive substances on Earth. One can become addicted to it, unknowingly, with just a few uses of it. Many people who have both been hooked on heroine and also smoked cigarettes have said that quitting cigarettes was harder to do than quitting heroine.

The American Heart Association website says, "Nicotine is an addictive drug. It causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present — and the bad feelings when it's absent — make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break."

I smoked for 25 years myself, so I know one can quit if one truly wants to. However, while no one is holding a gun to your head and it is a choice to start, most smokers will tell you that it is *a living hell* to continue. Your fingers turn yellow. You lose teeth. Your hair stinks. You have shortness of breath. You cough. You get winded easier than when you didn't smoke. You struggle through long airline flights as you can't wait for your next "fix" of tobacco. Some smokers lose limbs due to restricted oxygen flow. Go sit outside the hospital and see people hooked up to oxygen yet still puffing away on a cigarette. It is *not a choice* to continue to smoke. It is an addiction and I don't know any 20+ year smokers who say "Gee, this is fun. I love smoking. I wish I started smoking sooner. I hope all my kids and everyone I know starts smoking because it is so wonderful."

No. Most smokers got addicted in their youth -- most before age 21. Most before it was even legal for them to purchase tobacco. I'm not saying that I think the woman in this lawsuit should get millions of dollars, but I am saying that tobacco is so bad for people, which we now know, that it should be outlawed. I suppose there will always be a street market for it, like there is for heroine and other currently illegal drugs, but it would make it harder to hook the teens as it would be harder for them to purchase it.

Remember, too, that Coca Cola used to have cocaine in it, and other drugs used to be available to buy and now they're not because they were found to be dangerous. The only reason tobacco hasn't been outlawed is because of the strong tobacco lobby.

-Dorothy

I agree with all of this.

I quit smoking two years ago and still have days that I crave a cigarette bad enough that its a good thing they don't sell them anywhere at my place of work! And I have to make myself drive on by the store to get home and away from the temptation. The days get fewer and farther apart, but they still exist.

My dh still smokes and it scares me to death every time I hear him cough. He drives a truck and being on the road makes dealing with the withdrawal extra hard (he has tried). I took Chantix and this is what he plans to do, but I am afraid of the side effects and his being alone on the road.


As for the suits against McDonald's. I am glad those law suits were brought and that it made McDonald's rethink their serving sizes and supers-sized fries. No one needs that much food and they would push it every time you ordered. I wish more would be done by McD's and other fast food places to offer more healthy choices (if you actually look at the fat and calorie content of most, what you think they are offering that is "healthy" truly is not) Its really hard for a person that is trying to eat healthy to grab lunch or a quick supper after a long day and still eat healthy.

Consumers should be more responsible in the choices they make, this I agree; but companies should have to be responsible for the product they sell and advertise too.

 

[luvmy3]

Tobacco companies have marketed their product to young people -- children and teens. When I was a child, there were "candy cigarettes" -- white sticks with red ends that we'd pretend to smoke as it was a "grown up thing." Nicotine is *addicting*. It is the arguably one of the most addictive substances on Earth. One can become addicted to it, unknowingly, with just a few uses of it. Many people who have both been hooked on heroine and also smoked cigarettes have said that quitting cigarettes was harder to do than quitting heroine.

The American Heart Association website says, "Nicotine is an addictive drug. It causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present — and the bad feelings when it's absent — make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break."

I smoked for 25 years myself, so I know one can quit if one truly wants to. However, while no one is holding a gun to your head and it is a choice to start, most smokers will tell you that it is *a living hell* to continue. Your fingers turn yellow. You lose teeth. Your hair stinks. You have shortness of breath. You cough. You get winded easier than when you didn't smoke. You struggle through long airline flights as you can't wait for your next "fix" of tobacco. Some smokers lose limbs due to restricted oxygen flow. Go sit outside the hospital and see people hooked up to oxygen yet still puffing away on a cigarette. It is *not a choice* to continue to smoke. It is an addiction and I don't know any 20+ year smokers who say "Gee, this is fun. I love smoking. I wish I started smoking sooner. I hope all my kids and everyone I know starts smoking because it is so wonderful."

No. Most smokers got addicted in their youth -- most before age 21. Most before it was even legal for them to purchase tobacco. I'm not saying that I think the woman in this lawsuit should get millions of dollars, but I am saying that tobacco is so bad for people, which we now know, that it should be outlawed. I suppose there will always be a street market for it, like there is for heroine and other currently illegal drugs, but it would make it harder to hook the teens as it would be harder for them to purchase it.

Remember, too, that Coca Cola used to have cocaine in it, and other drugs used to be available to buy and now they're not because they were found to be dangerous. The only reason tobacco hasn't been outlawed is because of the strong tobacco lobby.

-Dorothy

Wrong, its a choice to continue to smoke, its a choice to not do anything about your addiction, its a choice to ignore all the information telling you how unhealthy it is, its a choice to continue to risk health problems because you choose not to do anything about your addiction. While it may not have been your choice to become addicted (except for those who have started smoking in the last 30 years), its certainly a choice to stay addicted.

 

[luvsJack]

Wrong, its a choice to continue to smoke, its a choice to not do anything about your addiction, its a choice to ignore all the information telling you how unhealthy it is, its a choice to continue to risk health problems because you choose not to do anything about your addiction. While it may not have been your choice to become addicted (except for those who have started smoking in the last 30 years), its certainly a choice to stay addicted.

No one is "ignoring" anything. When I smoked I knew all the warnings, all the dangers, etc. Every time I would get a strange cough or weird pain; I would just about panic. But it never made it any easier to quit.

You have to remember there are some people that smoke because they have a HABIT and some smoke because they have an ADDICTION and some have both. There is a huge difference in the two if you only have one, and if you have both then both have to be addressed. And you do not "choose" to stay addicted. You just are.

The one thing that helped me to quit was Chantix. I was lucky enough not to have the side effects. I have a co-worker that I was actually afraid he was going to hurt someone because of the anger issues the Chantix caused him. Its not really a great and wonderful choice.

Patches? Please. They may work for some, but not for everyone. In fact I cannot name one person who has quit using the patch or the gum. But I can name many that use either of those and smoke too.

Nicotine is THE most addictive drug. Experts have agreed on this over and over again. But yet it is a totally legal and acceptable drug. (well not so socially acceptable anymore but it was when I started and it still seems to be in the younger crowds).

Everyone hates smoking and only want it done in a persons home behind a closed door; why, then is there any resistance to outlawing it?

 

[LuvOrlando]

I think that with the way things are right now anyone getting money over stuff like this is likely to be significantly inflammatory. Just yesterday my DH and I were having lunch in a local Mom & Pop restaurant when the recent news story of that lawsuit directed at an airline because some lady slept through getting off the plane came on and we just about fell off our chairs We weren't the only ones stunned, just about everyone in the place was disgusted with her story. People have always been opportunistic but right here and now most of us have had enough of the get-rich-quick-who-cares-who-is-footing-the-bill mentality because we're sick of footing the bill.

Still, the tobacco industry intentionally lied for a long time to keep the $$ rolling in so I'm not exactly boo-hooing for them either. When I was a kid the only warning on cigarettes was for pregnant women. I wasn't pregnant so even though I was under age I thought they were safe. I quit when I was 20 and the truth came out so I do believe the lies definitely effected people's behaviors and now it's time to pay the piper. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

 

[luvmy3]

No one is "ignoring" anything. When I smoked I knew all the warnings, all the dangers, etc. Every time I would get a strange cough or weird pain; I would just about panic. But it never made it any easier to quit.

You have to remember there are some people that smoke because they have a HABIT and some smoke because they have an ADDICTION and some have both. There is a huge difference in the two if you only have one, and if you have both then both have to be addressed. And you do not "choose" to stay addicted. You just are.

The one thing that helped me to quit was Chantix. I was lucky enough not to have the side effects. I have a co-worker that I was actually afraid he was going to hurt someone because of the anger issues the Chantix caused him. Its not really a great and wonderful choice.

Patches? Please. They may work for some, but not for everyone. In fact I cannot name one person who has quit using the patch or the gum. But I can name many that use either of those and smoke too.

Nicotine is THE most addictive drug. Experts have agreed on this over and over again. But yet it is a totally legal and acceptable drug. (well not so socially acceptable anymore but it was when I started and it still seems to be in the younger crowds).

Everyone hates smoking and only want it done in a persons home behind a closed door; why, then is there any resistance to outlawing it?

I'll start off by saying I am an ex-smoker, and quitting was one of the harderst things I have done. I knew all the risks everytime I lit a cigarette yet I continued to do it (which is what is meant by "ignore") because it was so much easier to do that than quit. It wasn't until I wanted to start a family that I forced myself to do what it took to quit, and it took many tries but I did it. An addiction can always be overcome, there are many forms of treatment and there will always be one that works for you, you just need to want to do it and do it bad enough to find it. It will always be your choice whether to lite that cigarette or not.