only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
Dear US Justice Department
- by Marisa
- December 27, 2001
Not long ago, you brought a lawsuit against the tobacco industry for being deceptive in hiding information about the dangers of cigarettes and marketing to kids. The tobacco industry had to pay big bucks because of this.
I started smoking Virginia Slims at age 15 because I wanted to be the Virginia Slims woman. I was addicted before I graduated from high school. I guess they did target me and take advantage of my youthful stupidity.
So, where’s the money I should have gotten? Where’s my share of the payoff?
I got to thinking about this today as I smoked a cigarette outside my office in the snow and glanced up at a sign that urges everyone to fight “Big Tobacco.” Why should I fight them? I don’t seem to be the one getting anything out of the fight.
I’m thinking about quitting again but I keep remembering the last time I tried to quit. I came close to killing one of my kids. It would be helpful if my insurance company would cover the cost of the patches or that pill that is supposed to help, but they don’t cover either. They do cover Viagra.
Maybe I’m an illogical person; maybe my thinking is twisted. I just can’t figure out why none of the money that Big Tobacco paid out came my way, especially since I’m the one paying, in a round about way. The cost of my cigarettes have doubled since the lawsuit.
Explain to me again who it is you punished….?
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I have been trying to quit and failing miserably at it. I can’t use the patches (allergic to the plastic adhesive crap). I agree we should have some sort of coverage for the things we need to help us quit. It doesn’t make sense to pay for illnesses caused by smoking but not help out with the quitting!
My insurance company pays for the Pill and the patches, etc. but does not pay for viagra.
Yeah. Where is my money? I want my money!
Good luck in quitting. I bet you are strong enough to do it without help. Zyban is a med that can be used to help quit smoking….marketed as Wellbutrin it can also help with depression. go figure. I bet that one of those is covered. Ask the doctor. good luck. Hugs.
No kidding!!! I started smoking again in part due to the self-righteous and illogical anti-”Big Tobacco” PSAs/ads they glut the airwaves with here in California. (OK, stress played a part as well.) And yesterday we saw a TV commercial talking about the number of miscarriages due to smoking. S____ said, “that’ll get a lot of teenage girls to start smoking!” Sadly, I’m sure she’s right. Straightforward education, not litigation and smugness, is the key to keeping young people from smoking. I have promised to quit soon, but I read in the new Allure that the average person who quits gains 17 pounds! Yikes! I only smoke a pack every three days, so I’m hoping it won’t be so bad.
I’d love to know who got all the money. Weren’t we the ones who were “harmed”?
Actually, the Welbutrin is covered but when I tried it a few years ago for depression, my eyes swelled up. I think I have some kind of reaction to it.
I just think the lawsuit was an excuse to take money from an industry to give it to the government and a bunch of lawyers. I doubt that anyone who was damaged by the industry really got any money.
I read that, too. I don’t need an extra 17 pounds!
I quit smoking before I got pregnant with Jesse (new year’s resolution that year) but with the rest, I didn’t quit till I found out I was pregnant. I never miscarried so I’m not sure if smoking is really the deciding factor. My mom miscarried once, never smoked; her friend miscarried 4 times, never smoked. I know, it’s all anecdotal, but statitistics can be manipulated, too. Yes, it’s dangerous and bad and all, but so is drinking and overeating and a shitload of other things. I wanna quit but I don’t want to hurt any of my kids in the process. That’s a real possibility.
they did not. the excuse is that it goes to pay the cost of treatment incurred by the gov’t. and if you believe that…some of it also goes to the states and is used differently…here it goes to farmers to replace income lost from tobacco sales.
While those of us who were actually misled are left with our (more expensive post-lawsuit) addiction. I love our justice system, don’t you?
basically yes, but there are problems…my problem with my past of smoking is learned from my parents who were both long time smokers. ANd, I blame that on the cig. companies….except that I also believe that I had a choice not to start and starting I blame on a girlfriend…so, go figure.
Oh, I agree with you. I would have rather not seen the lawsuit happen at all. But since it did, I think the smokers should have gotten then money. Does that make sense?
yep….I started looking for it the day they announced the amount…I am still looking….lol @@
Absolutely! I was thinking about your post. I started smoking when I was a teen because everyone I worked with smoked. We could even smoke in the doctors waiting room, on the bus, in the theater! Now it’s a crime to smoke in public at all.