How Accountable are Smokers for Their Habit?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=810

Medical historian and anti-smoking advocate Allan Brandt debates the level of personal responsibility smokers hold for their addiction to tobacco.

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Allan Brandt researched "The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America," and after doing so for twenty years, he has become one of the top expert witnesses for tobacco-related state and federal cases. In 2004 Brandt took the stand as an expert witness for two full days of cross-examination in the case of U.S. vs. Phillip Morris. The judge's opinion referenced Brandt's testimony nearly 200 times and for the first time ever tobacco companies were found to be in violation of Federal racketeering statutes.

Now, in "The Cigarette Century," Brandt presents the definitive history of the cigarette, both as the ultimate cultural icon and as the produce that shaped US agriculture, big business, medicine, and regulatory policies in the 20th century. Making extensive use of previously secret corporate documents which became available in the last decade as a result of litigation, Brandt offers critical analysis of the cigarette controversy and how the industry used sophisticated public relations to invent a modern "disinformation" campaign.

Allan Brandt is the Amalie Moses Kass Professor of the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and holds a joint appointment in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• cigarettes
• tobacco
• industry
• smoking
• addicts
• addiction
• habit
• break
• ads
• advertising
• secondhand
• truth
• fora
• tv
• fora.tv
• foratv

[thevakoffski]

I quit chew a while back. Even though I don't use tobacco that much anymore, just get out of people's business. It's good to teach the truth, but don't force it upon people. I can say that the addictions comes to a point to where I don't think we are all accountable whether we use tobacco or not. Its pretty damn hard to quit. I almost lost a job because of it.

[killingamps]

It isn't just culture...some people, as I am, were hardwired to smoke. At two years of age and later, I was hanging around the kitchen table as my mother and her sister smoked away. In my later years, I was not even interested in a woman unless she smoked. And I thought I had to smoke in order to attract a smoker. Peer pressure never played a part in it. Thankfully, I've learned about myself, and been able to quit.

[LionessCub1]

wow all the smoker comments are so angry if you didn't want to see an antismoker why are watching the video?

[Taiji4Life]

More nicotine = more bang for the buck.

[septiemakkoord]

Does he know he smokes too with his car ? (Which he probably owns ?) If I connect myself to his exhaust pipe and inhale his exhaust fumes for 10 seconds I wil be dead ?

[skullstabber9]

i know that smoking is not good for you but i think that people like this are way out of fucking line smoking is my personal choice and i choose to smoke if you dont like it dont smoke and shut the fuck up

[humaneeds]

Somebody remove that " knitting for Dummies" in the background shelf. It's embarrassing. ^_^

[crazychrisva]

This dude is gay and i wish he would tell me not to light up so I could kick his ass.