The effect of class action lawsuits against tobacco companies essay

The Effect of Class Action Lawsuits against Tobacco CompaniesClass action lawsuits against U. S. tobacco companies can play an important role in the treatment and prevention of tobacco addiction in a variety of ways, if the judgments of the courts and the money paid out is put to progressive social use fighting nicotine addiction. Just yesterday, a Florida woman filed a lawsuit against Philip-Morris claiming that her forty-year chain smoking husband died of lung cancer because the tobacco producer deceitfully hid the dangers of smoking.  This is the first case to be filed since the Florida Supreme Court threw out a $145 Billion jury award in a class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of smokers and their families.

There are currently 8, 000 cases waiting to be filed in the same spirit (Anderson). If the lawsuit succeeds and Philip-Morris is forced to pay out billions of dollars, this could have a massive effect on the habits of smokers.  The lawsuit alone is creating a public relations nightmare for the tobacco industry and the addictive and potentially fatal nature of the substance is becoming common knowledge.  As more and more money is paid out, treatment and prevention of tobacco addiction should increase and improve proportionally.

Tobacco companies that are found to be guilty should be forced to lead the fight against addiction in addition to helping fund prevention and treatment measures because they are the root cause of the problem in the first place.  If the class action lawsuit proves successful beyond the personal realm, the popular image of tobacco usage should suffer.  Works CitedAnderson, Curtis. Jury rules for widow of Fla.

smoker in first of 8, 000 lawsuits blaming death on addiction. (2009). The Associated Press. Retrieved 13 February 2009, from http://www. startribune. com/business/39500442. html