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Latest Top Tobacco Headlines

Latest Quotes

  • “[The US] absolutely respects the right of any country to protect the health of its citizens.”
    U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, in regards to mad cow disease being found in the US.
    » Quick response averts market scare in mad cow case , Associated Press (AP) (Friday, April 27, 2012)
  • “You’re in here because you didn’t obey the old law.”
    Circuit Judge David Sentelle, to tobacco companies asserting that Kessler's RICO remedies are obviated by 2009's FDA legislation.
    » Altria Bid to End Court Oversight Draws Judges’ Skepticism , Bloomberg News (Friday, April 20, 2012)
  • “We think that people ought to know whether they might be exposed to second-hand smoke in their apartment before they decide whether to rent or buy.”
    Dr. Thomas Farley, commissioner of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
    » Mayor Taking New Step on Smoking ($$), The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition (Wednesday, April 18, 2012)
  • “The success in Australia is going to be the success of the world.”
    Margaret Chan, the head of the World Health Organisation, speaking at the WCTOH about Australia's near-apocalyptic plain packaging battle
    » Fight may cost Big Tobacco a packet, Sydney Morning Herald (au) (Saturday, March 24, 2012)
  • “And we have an enemy, a ruthless and devious enemy . . . Tactics aimed at undermining anti-tobacco campaigns, and subverting the Framework Convention, are no longer covert or cloaked by an image of corporate social responsibility. They are out in the open and they are extremely aggressive. The high-profile legal actions targeting Uruguay, Norway, Australia, and Turkey are deliberately designed to instill fear in countries wishing to introduce similarly tough tobacco control measures. . . . Big Tobacco can afford to hire the best lawyers and PR firms that money can buy. Big Money can speak louder than any moral, ethical, or public health argument, and can trample even the most damning scientific evidence. . . . It is horrific to think that an industry known for its dirty tricks and dirty laundry could be allowed to trump what is clearly in the public’s best interest. . . . Paying people to use a country’s judicial system to challenge the legality of measures that protect the public is a flagrant abuse of the judicial system and a flagrant affront to national sovereignty. This is direct interference with a country’s internal affairs.”
    Dr Margaret Chan Director-General of the World Health Organization, in her keynote address at the 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore.
    » CHAN: The changed face of the tobacco industry, World Health Organization (WHO) (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)
  • “This could be a very serious issue if someone attacked us on this front. We all know how difficult it is to quit smoking and I think we could be very vulnerable to such criticism. ”
    Michel Descôteaux, then public relations director for Imperial Tobacco Canada, in a 1976 memo to Imperial's VP, Tony Kalhok.
    » Witness in tobacco trial backs away from '70s note, Montreal Gazette (ca) (Thursday, March 15, 2012)
  • “I was wrong when I said we all know how difficult it is to quit because I hadn't tried to quit yet. . . . I am a person who prefers excess to moderation so I drink more than most people; I was smoking practically all day long, I play golf to excess - and I'm probably addicted to retirement, too. But just because you do something to excess doesn't mean you're addicted to it.”
    Michel Descôteaux, testifying Wednesday in Canada's class-action suit.
    » Witness in tobacco trial backs away from '70s note, Montreal Gazette (ca) (Thursday, March 15, 2012)
  • “There is no evidence that, in marketing and selling Marlboro cigarettes prior to July 31, 1968, Philip Morris was or should have been aware of a high degree of probability that Rivers, or any other smoker, would develop an addiction, smoke while impaired, and consequently die or be seriously injured by a fire started by a cigarette.”
    U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, who granted Philip Morris summary judgment last week in MA a fire-safety liability case.
    » No Product Liability in Fire Hazard of Cigarettes , Courthouse News (Monday, March 12, 2012)
  • “On or before July 31, 1968, Philip Morris advertised and sold Marlboro cigarettes in the United States, intending to cultivate a loyal customer base. Cigarettes are now known to be an addictive product, but in the 1960s Philip Morris knew only that cigarette smoking was habit-forming.”
    U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, who granted Philip Morris summary judgment last week in a MA fire-safety liability case.
    » No Product Liability in Fire Hazard of Cigarettes , Courthouse News (Monday, March 12, 2012)
  • “In order to end this epidemic, we need to focus on where we can prevent it and where we can see the most effect, and that's with young people. We want to make our next generation tobacco-free, and I think we can.”
    Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, in an interview with The Associated Press.
    » Surgeon General wants more focus on youth tobacco use, prevention , Associated Press (AP) (Thursday, March 8, 2012)
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