All of these states have sued
big tobacco companies and won these huge judgements for billions of dollars. Presumably this was for the states having to pay for the medical bills of sick
smokers. So the
tobacco companies paid out a lot of money...maybe some of this went to covering medical bills...I don't know. Some of it went to things like anti-smoking commercials for kids and yikes, some of it even paid to subsidize tobacco farmers!
Since I make it my business to avoid people who smoke whenever I can, I don't concern myself as much with the health hazards. But what pisses me off to no end is all of the
litter! There is nary a place in this country where you can walk around and not find a
cigarette butt on the ground.
Roadsides,
sidewalks, even on
hiking trails! I am
disgusted when I walk along a
beach, where someone has used the sand for their personal
ashtray. I've seen them floating in lakes. They fly out car windows and occasionally start
forest fires. There must be billions of cigarette butts thrown out all over the planet. Not to mention all of the other accessories...packs, cartons, matches, and lighters. All that trash makes me mad and somebody should be responsible.
Smokers were not to blame for injuring their health, so they must not be to blame for their garbage either. Why not get big tobacco to fork over some of their billions of dollars and pay to clean up our streets?
Hi all...interesting followups...some of this was meant to be sarcastic...I do hate this trash. I personally blame the people who throw it out. But these people knew cigarettes would make them sick and tobacco companies had to pay up anyway. So by that logic they should pay for litter too. Me, I just want it cleaned up.