ke the product they choose to use. Of course, the $145 billion awarded to Florida smokers will cause the jurors of cases involving smoking will be extremely generous with payouts. The controversial issue of the smokers vs. the tobacco industry has quickly become a national problem in need of a unified solution. What is that solution? Lets encourage people who are smoking to quit and people who do not smoke never to start. Surprisingly enough, tobacco company Philip Morris USA has dramatically changed the way they do business as a result of state settlements. William Ohlemeyer, vice president and associate general counsel of Philip Morris describes the steps the company has taken toward a unified solution.We have eliminated or severly restricted many of our traditional marketing practices. We have restricted our lobbying practices. We have opened up millions of documents to public disclosure. In addition, we have voluntarily implemented youth-smoking-prevention initiatives. And recently we took the voluntary step of removing our tobacco-brand advertising form nearly 50 national publications(Ohlemeyer 16A).Once again I pose the question, is the tobacco industry responsible for the damaging effects and deaths caused by cigarettes? No. It is ridiculous to blame the tobacco companies instead of holding Americans responsible for their actions. I agree entirely with George Jonas when he says, Even in an era such as ours, in which weve been trying to redistribute risks in society not according to who incurs them but who can best afford to pay, such an attempt to shift responsibility for our own actions to the deep pockets of someone else has reached a new height of absurdity(1). ...
