Following are some of the industry's most common defenses of its abusive behavior, and the realities the companies would like to keep hidden. Much of this PR is coordinated by the Tobacco Institute, the industry's Washington, DC-based trade association, and so is remarkably consistent from company to company. The decision to smoke should be an adult one. Children should not smoke.
Smoking is a deadly addiction , responsible for three million deaths each year.
Because nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine, using tobacco is not a choice once you're hooked. It is as inappropriate to apply US marketing restrictions overseas as it would be for those countries to impose their laws here. This attempt to disguise outrageous double standards as a respect for national self- determination is as offensive as it is transparent. Whenever they can get away with it, the tobacco transnationals show nothing but contempt for the laws and regulations of any country. To cite just a few examples, they are currently refusing to obey a tobacco ad ban in Russia, recently succeeded in getting the Czech Republic to rescind its ad ban, and got the US government to force Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan to overturn ad bans during the 1980's under threat of trade retaliation.