Inevitable Deaths Due To The Tobacco Companies example essay topic

The War on Tobacco Each day, millions of Americans of all ages light up a cigarette distributed by the tobacco companies. Smoking is a habit that, in the long run, causes cancer and other diseases associated with the lungs. Now, this deadly cancer causing drug is one of the leading causes of death in America today. Some may argue that it is a person^1's choice to smoke and that the tobacco companies are innocent because of this. In actuality, the tobacco companies are to blame for toying with the lives of millions of Americans.

For many years, the tobacco companies have been keeping secrets from the American public and lied about the true effects of cigarette smoking causing our older generations^1 deaths. The tobacco companies now have warning labels on packs of cigarettes and are seeking another generation to kill by aiming their campaign at young teens that don^1 t read labels. They are increasing the potency of the nicotine to ^3 hook^2 more smokers as well. In the years 1950-1968, the tobacco industries knew that their product was harmful and didn^1 t decide to warn the American public until the year 1969. Because of the tobacco companies irresponsibility, our older generations are enduring painful, inevitable deaths. The tobacco companies have been arguing for years that no studies have been done within their company about the correlation of cigarette smoking and lung cancer and that they are ignorant on that matter.

They have been keeping things from us for years while studies outside the tobacco companies had been done to help prove that smoking is harmful in the short and long runs to one^1's health. There was a memo written in 1963 marked ^3 strictly private and confidential^2 which stated, ^2 moreover, nicotine is addictive... We are then in the business of selling nicotine, an addictive drug effective in the release of stress mechanisms. ^2 (Hwang). If the tobacco companies were in fact ^3 ignorant^2 on the correlation between their product and lung cancer along with other diseases, then they should make themselves more educated about their own product or suffer the consequences and face law suits from the government and citizens of America. But, in fact, the tobacco companies have known for years what is really in each cigarette and how it really might affect us in the long run.

The tobacco industry of RJ Reynolds think that since there are now warning labels on packs of cigarettes, they shouldn^1 t be held accountable and now people know the risks that smoking brings. On the contrary, they are surveying young, immature teens who do not read warning labels and aiming their campaign to addict yet another generation of smokers. The campaign of Joe Camel, a cartoon character known to be ^3 cool^2, came across the nation on billboards and in advertisements in almost all magazines. In the past four years teenage smoking has risen and Joe Camel is one of the top leading smoking brands among teens. There was another secret discovered in the tobacco company of RJ Reynolds stamped ^3 RJR Secret^2 which was the plan to launch the campaign aimed at ^3 younger adult male smokers (primarily 13-24 year old male Marlboro smokers) ^2 (Geyelin). With the dying off of the older generation and warning labels on the packs of cigarettes, the tobacco industries are also deliberately increasing the potency of a cigarette to hook more smokers.

Tobacco companies may deny any increase in potency of the cigarette because they are by no means increasing the level of nicotine in a cigarette. Instead of adding more nicotine, they decided to go farther with the potency by adding ammonia based compounds to cigarettes. This makes the drug more harmful to one^1's health and also causes more of an addiction. Even without increasing other drugs in the cigarette, the effects of nicotine can by far addict a person alone. Nicotine is a drug that causes the release of dopamine. Dopamine has many different effects on the brain and is mainly associated with pleasure.

Another memo was found in 1995, stating that nicotine had a ^3 similar organic chemical^2 to drugs like cocaine and morphine. With such a high level of potency, the warnings should not be in fine print, but should be broadcast ed in bold letters on the packs of cigarettes, televised, and in every magazine ad for cigarettes. Continuing the way they are, it seems the tobacco companies are more of a culprit rather than a normal business. The tobacco industry is a monster that is one of the leading money making industries ever. Throughout all of their lies and hidden secrets, people are still puffing away at their fatal product. It is obvious that the tobacco companies must accept part of the blame for the ongoing abuse of their products which are killing many Americans.

No amount of money could make up for the painful deaths of the victims of the tobacco companies. The tobacco companies should not only pay the state governments money, but also the individual Americans that are enduring painful, inevitable deaths due to the tobacco companies.

Bibliography

Kelly Simonson February 18, 1999 U WRP 1250 First paper draft 1 Group The War on Tobacco Each day, millions of Americans of all ages light up a cigarette distributed by the tobacco companies.
Works Cited 1) The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 15, 1998 Reynolds Sought Specifically to Lure Young Smokers Years Ago, Data Suggest.
By Milo Geyelin 2) The Wall Street Journal, April 24, 1998 Philip Morris Memo Outlines Strategy To Study How Nicotine Affects the Brain By Sue in L.