Cigarettes Quotes
Note the observation about tobacco. Even then it was recognized as addicting despite the testimonies of tobacco executives who lied in Congressional Testimony more than 100 years later
This historical quotation is surprising to us over a century later. We are surprised at the very large revenue from the then relatively low tax rates on alcohol and tobacco and many people who did not pay their taxes at the time. Also, the incredibly small appropriation for the military. WWI was only 4 years away. Generally, until the Second World War, the Democratic party did not advocate large military expenditures and the Republicans were more isolationist and opposed almost all defense spending. After WWII, the Republican Party flip flopped and became the champion of military readiness and defense spending.
This was the first cigarette company that admitted what by then had been known by the cigarette companies for almost 50 years during which they continued to knowingly kill people and deny that there was any harm that could come from smoking.
Marijuana had been made legal in a number of states at that time. Based on the example of New York City, many other cities of the world were just then passing ordinances to make it illegal to smoke in any public place or any private establishment that serves the public.
Bloomberg was the first public official in the world to push for and pass a law banning smoking in all offices, hotels, restaurants, and other public places despite huge opposition funded by the tobacco companies and many of the business and restaurant owners. Despite the fact that it would literally save thousands of lives a year, a ban was feared by politicians as it might harm business, tourism and their own political positions. However, after New York banned smoking, other cities started to do the same, not only in America but all over the world. This saved millions of lives. One courageous man, a single politician, changed much of the world, and saved many more lives than most doctors will.
Big Tobacco was very successful in forestalling the loss of their profits.
It would take the United States government 50 more years to share this information with the public. This quotation illustrates the enormous power of corporations and their lobbyists to suppress scientific information that might be detrimental to their profits, and the poor communications of the scientific community in being able to communicate to people outside of science. Cigarettes are the ONLY product sold in the American marketplace which if used exactly as intended will cause DEATH.
Henry Ford had an absolute phobia about tobacco. Although the terrible carcinogenic effect of smoking was not known at the time, Ford was convinced that cigarettes deteriorated the brain and turned people into criminals. He banned smoking in all Ford plants and offices. This is a good example of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
