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At the heart of the congressional hearings featuring the tobacco executives (sometime dubbed “the seven dwarfs”) was a conspiracy (later proven in court in a major RICO case) going back decades between all of the major tobacco companies to deceive the public and lie to Congress and the rest of the government about smoking and its causes and effects. In sharp contrast, the BP matter appears to be a single isolated incident, with no evidence of an industry-wide conspiracy.[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Using a variety of legal strategies later found to be deceptive as well as ruthless, cigarette makers were able to avoid all liability for any of the death, disability, and other economic losses its industry causes for many decades before the first tobacco law suits were successful. In contrast,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], BP has conceded financial responsibility for all of the reasonable costs of its tragedy, and has begun to pay for some — although perhaps not as fast or as completely as many would hope.
It appears that the cause of the BP explosion and oil spill was negligence — perhaps even gross negligence — brought on by a desire to save both time and money by engaging in a variety of shortcuts which substantially increased the risk of the very catastrophic harm which ultimately occurred. But no one has seriously suggested that BP’s fault and culpability goes beyond negligence. That smoking rates are lower among Americans in their 30s and early 40s than those currently in the 44-to-54-year age range provides an interesting causal puzzle.
There may be cohort explanations focusing on the specific social or political environment those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s encountered as they grew up. Or it could be that something about the life circumstances of those in their late 40s and early 50s is more conducive to smoking. The Gallup and Healthways Daily tracking project began in January 2008,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], so there are no comparable historical data to use to analyze smoking patterns across individual ages from decades ago, which could have helped to determine if this is a recurring pattern.
Of interest will be the fate of these 44- to 54-year-old smokers as they continue to age. Will this smoking “bulge” continue to move through the age pipeline in the years ahead? Will this age cohort begin to smoke less frequently as they age? Will Americans now in their 30s begin to increase in smoking incidence as they move into the 44-to-54-year age range? 1993: VERMONT is the first state in the nation to ban indoor smoking; bars are exempt.[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
1993: Smoking prevalence among U.S. adults (18 years of age and older) is estimated to be 25 percent, compared with 26.3 percent for 1992. Forty-six million adults currently smoke (24 million men,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], 22 million women). 1997: Forty-eight million Americans have quit in the 21 years since the first Smokeout in 1976; 48 million still smoke; about 34 million say they want to quit. Between 1965 and 1990, adult smoking declined from 42 percent to 25 percent. The average age of a first-time smoker is 13. More than 3 million American adolescents smoke cigarettes. 1997: Attorneys General, tobacco companies come to landmark settlement.
Agreement provides for unprecedented restrictions on cigarettes and on tobacco makers’ liability in lawsuits. Industry to spend $360 billion over 25 years, mainly on anti-smoking campaigns,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], use bold health warning on packs, curb advertising and face fines if youth smoking drops insufficiently. Subject to congressional approval. 1997: President Bill Clinton signs Executive Order 13058 mandating smokefree government workplaces. The order states that tobacco use is to be prohibited from all government-owned, rented or leased interior spaces or in exterior spaces near air intake ducts.
The order also prohibits smoking in all recreational buildings and clubs aboard military installations. 2006: Judge releases final order, finding that the tobacco defendants (except Ligget) are racketeers, having lied for 50 years,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and deceived the American public on health issues and marketing to children. All that judge can do under civil RICO, however,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], is enjoin them from lying in the future, or using “light” type descriptors. She orders them to issue corrective statements, and expands the Minnesota document disclosure requirements. If this injunctive relief is ever implemented, it will only be after years of appeals. 2010: By May 1,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], 38 states are either smokefree or have some type of smoking ban.[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].