Word: tobaccos
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Look who's talking now. For four decades, tobacco giants Philip Morris (Marlboro) and R.J. Reynolds (Camel) have hotly denied that cigarettes cause illness and have successfully stubbed out every claim for damages brought against them. But the danger of suffocation from mushrooming lawsuits, rising political hostility and shareholder agitation have finally compelled the two companies to discuss a settlement. It was disclosed last week that the tobacco giants had begun complex negotiations with state attorneys general, private lawyers and antismoking advocates...
...landmark talks began shortly after the tiny Liggett Group struck a separate deal with 22 state attorneys general last month, breaking ranks and opening the way for the tobacco industry to put the legal onslaught--and $600 million in annual legal fees--behind it. "These cases were a gun to their heads," says John Coale, lead counsel for a coalition representing 60 law firms suing tobacco companies, who has been participating in the talks. "Now the industry has to prove its good faith...
...industry has the wherewithal to raise $300 billion, the highest figure yet floated, payable over 25 years, to compensate plaintiffs for smoking-related ailments. Together, market leader Philip Morris and No. 2 Reynolds command a 72% share of the $45 billion U.S. tobacco industry. Cynics noted that demand for cigarettes is inelastic--the companies would just force nicotine junkies to cough up an additional 25 cents a pack, which now averages $1.80. The industry would also scrap its outdoor advertising and remove human and human-like figures from remaining ads, thereby laying to rest the images of the Marlboro...
...surprisingly, this latest Hatch-Kennedy effort is not dividing lawmakers along classic ideological lines: tobacco-state Senators like Kentucky Democrat Wendell Ford are certain to oppose the bill, while G.O.P. moderates like James Jeffords and Olympia Snowe have signed up as sponsors. It's got a fair shot at passing if only because, unlike Clinton's sweeping health plan, the Hatch-Kennedy proposal takes modest steps: it would cover only half of the 10 million children who lack health insurance. Conservative opponents say a better way to insure them would be to expand tax-sheltered "medical savings accounts...
...paved with others' good intentions. As part of the national Kick Butts Day, Molly Patterson, a student from Petaluma, California, decided she and her classmates would write an open letter to hometown girl Ryder asking her to stop smoking in movies. Before the letter was sent, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sensing a good way to spread its message, told the media about it. Ryder, who has lit up in four of her 18 movies (including Reality Bites, above) was horrified at the story and phoned Patterson at school. She also released a statement saying she doesn't advocate...