Tobacco Company’s Bad Faith

There is no question that the tobacco companies have acted in bad faith. While no tobacco executive has been convicted of a criminal activity as part of their corporate activities, many believe that their corporate actions have been unethical and immoral.

According to the paper “Don’t be Fooled Again” released by the American Lung Association and Public Citizen (a consumer watchdog group founded by Ralph Nader), “Big Tobacco has lied and attempted to fool lawmakers from city councils to the U.S. Congress about the addictive nature of nicotine, about targeting kids, about preemption of local control, about advertising and about the health effects of tobacco.”

According to “Save Lives, Not Tobacco” the tobacco industry’s misconduct has included:

· Decades of suppressing health data,

· Creating a organization for concealment and disinformation – council for tobacco research,

· Maintaining levels of cancer-causing chemicals and refusing to make cigarettes fire-safe,

· Purveying disease and nicotine addiction,

· Targeting and recruiting children to stay in business,

· Manipulating nicotine,

· Denying secondhand smoke kills,

· Using fraud to avoid disclosing documents,

· Lawsuits to harass and intimidate foes.

These actions are not the actions of good corporate citizen. Any reasonable person would view these activities, conducted to protect the profits of a product that causes death when used in its intended manner, as immoral.

When the tobacco companies say they have changed their ways, don't believe them. Not content with the tainted profits they have earned in the US, the tobacco companies are repeating their activities in country after country across the globe.

Don’t Be Fooled Again, A Report on the Tobacco Industries Lies and Deception.
Public Citizen
http://www.citizen.org/tobacco/fooled.htm

Save Lives, Not Tobacco
The Coalition for Accountability
Industry Misconduct, An Overview
http://www.savelives.org (unavailable)

Tobacco Marketing to Kids
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/html/
tobacco_marketing_to_kids.html

Supressing Health Infomation; Concealment and Disinformation
Mayo Clinic Health Oasis
Lessons from Tobacco Documents
http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/
9608/htm/nicotine_sb.htm
Astro-Turf: Bogus Grass-Roots Groups and the Tobacco Industry
http://www.toolworks.com/
bilofsky/astrotrf.htm

Cancer Causing Chemicals and Risks
Dr. Koops Community – Harmful & Addictive Cigarette Smoke
http://www.drkoop.com/tobacco/
facts_and_figures/pg00052.asp
University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center
OncoLink Nurse Notes: Second-hand Smoke—How Dangerous is Second-hand Smoke
http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu/
causeprevent/faq/secondhand.html

Tobacco Marketing to Kids:
National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/
html/tobacco_marketing_to_kids.html
Youth Smoking in Canada
http://www.tobaccofacts.org/attitude.html
CDC--Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR)
Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General---Executive Summary. 43(RR-4), March 11, 1994
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Publications/
mmwr/rr/rr4304.pdf

Nicotine
American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/
Heart_and_Stroke_A_Z_Guide/nicoadd.html
FDA: Nicotine In Cigarettes And Smokeless Tobacco Products Is A Drug And These Products Are Nicotine Delivery Devices Under The Federal Food, Drug, And Cosmetic Act
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/tobacinfo/
juristoc.html

Second Hand Smoke
Action on Smoking and Health
http://ash.org/nonsmkr.html
Mayo Clinic
Second Hand Smoke: Clearing the Air
http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/
9708/htm/2nd_hand.htm

Tobacco Companies International Behavior
The Charlotte Observer
Exporting addiction? By Nancy Stancill
October 18, 1997
http://www.charlotte.com/observer/
special/foreignsmoke
Multinational Monitor
July/August 1997 · Volume 18 · Numbers 7&8
Taking on Tobacco Imperialism
http://www.essential.org/cgi-bin/
print_hit_bold.pl/monitor/hyper/mm0797.06.html
Addicted to Profit: Big Tobacco's Expanding Global Reach
By Ross Hammond
Published by Essential Action
http://www.essential.org/action/addicted

The Costs Of Tobacco Use

Should Tobacco be Legal?

Tobacco Company's Bad Faith

The Conscientious Consumer's Response

Objectionable Company Actions

Responding
as a Conscientious Consumer

Action Against Tobacco Companies

Actions Against Politicians

Other Actions

The Right Way to Boycott Tobacco

Tobacco Companies and Their Non-Tobacco Products

Resources

Return to Conscientious Consuming Home Page