Is it not disturbing that the government makes money off of a product that is guaranteed to poison you, whether it happens fast or over time? To have a loved one who smokes is heartbreaking...lung cancer is a big killer. People do stupid things all the time and it is easy to judge and dehumanize them when you create a distance by saying"they did this to themselves." But the problem is we all make mistakes and in a perfect world we have the chance to live and to learn from these mistakes...many are not so fortunate.
DAVID L. TWOMBLY - 12 years ago
Any business, of any kind, that knowingly sells, and/or promotes any product that is harmful to human health, should have all of it's assets seized and sold by the federal government, and all of the company directors should be jailed for life, without trial, and without representation, and without access to any course of appeal. Why, because their products caused damage and/or death, without asking.
Tobacco companies are especially liable, in that they continually deliberated to design the most addicitive products possible for maximum profits, without regard to the damage they caused.
anemarie - 12 years ago
We can justify the majority for saying YES, because no one forced any one to smoke, did the tobacco company buy the cigarettes for smokers, NO!! did they force them to smoke?? No!
then whose fault is it?? I've never smoked in my life and I don't want these people with no will power to gain anything!! You chose your path ,deal with it like the rest of the population, if you drink to access do you sue the SaQ? Nooo So why should you get special status??
BarrieT - 12 years ago
A company should be responsible for the product that it sells. They have to take responsibility for the damage done to their consumers. If they cannot render their products safe to use, they should not be allowed to make a profit.
Paul - 12 years ago
I think that they should pay up I was only 11yrs old when i started there were no warnings other than to not INHALE what a joke..DON,T INHALE WAH ???that,s like telling somone not to swallow a beer.. if I had known the health risks believe me I would never have started. I gave up booze real easy no d.t.s like smokes .I,ve tried champix no go tried the gums no go .whats next really I think big&small tabacco companies should be forced to pay for our health & dental bills.. pay threw the arse they should.. wish I knew how to get in on this lawsuit.
Delfield - 12 years ago
Maybe government should be sued for allowing this product to be sold.
turbo t - 12 years ago
i'm 53 years of age just quit smoking on february 14th 2012, I started smoking in 1972 just turned a teenager, smoked 40 years i'm fine I didnt have 1 of the tabbacco companies hold a gun to my head telling me to smoke. The gov't has been raking the tax's for years to help pay the health wake up and leave the companies alone and dont waste the courts time with unnessary law suits that no one was forced to purchase there product,should i go sue corning ware I dropped 1 of there plates and cut my foot there was no warning lable to tell that could happen to me.......there all idiots for wasting everyones time.
looped_ca - 12 years ago
For decades there's been taxes on cigarettes; yet these Anti Smokers say the tobacco co. haven't paid anything? Get real the health dep'ts have been getting Millions perhaps Billions per year, and putting that money in their general account.
Keep pushing Anti Smokers, you will soon reach the end of the elastic effect of your "denormalization" campaign and all of you will be liable for more deaths then tobacco diseases ever has. The perfect example of their responsibility is the elderly man who died in Jan31/o7 after being locked out of his (nursing) home, or the store clerks killed/harmed because (they want to get their health care costs back) high taxes are now causing the robberies of stores.
karl - 12 years ago
I can not belive how stupid poeple can get! what else can poeple come up with to get money and continue there addiction? comen sence if you don't want health issues from smoking don't smoke.
Andre - 12 years ago
I was duped by CBC! The title says "Should big tobacco pay for smoking-related illnesses?" yet the survey, I realized after clicking yes, says "Should tobacco companies pay damages for smoking-related illnesses?"
I don't think they should pay damages, but perhaps they should pay for the extra health care that their consumers will inevitably require, so that the rest of us non-smokers aren't footing the bill for someone elses' choice.
anon1 - 12 years ago
I'm a non-smoker whose husband smokes. I've been saying for years that smoking, at some point in time, will be looked upon as a holocaust, in which government knew of the consequences but chose to keep the tax money rolling into their coffers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in court. My heart and prayers go out to those plaintiffs, whose health, life, and family have been compromised due to smoking.
tony flello - 12 years ago
cmon! Hello? At what point does a person take responsibility for their own choices? Ok perhaps someone who smoked 50 years ago when cigarettes didn't carry a warning label But tobacco companies have complied with legislation requiring those warning labels for some time now and I would say THAT shifts responsibility to those who choose to disregard those warnings.
Siarhei - 12 years ago
they were stupid (duped) for years…
They (smokers) check first mental health… I would bun all lawsuit related human stupidity from the court.
Anon - 12 years ago
Seriously? How can the majority of people say yes?
Is it not disturbing that the government makes money off of a product that is guaranteed to poison you, whether it happens fast or over time? To have a loved one who smokes is heartbreaking...lung cancer is a big killer. People do stupid things all the time and it is easy to judge and dehumanize them when you create a distance by saying"they did this to themselves." But the problem is we all make mistakes and in a perfect world we have the chance to live and to learn from these mistakes...many are not so fortunate.
Any business, of any kind, that knowingly sells, and/or promotes any product that is harmful to human health, should have all of it's assets seized and sold by the federal government, and all of the company directors should be jailed for life, without trial, and without representation, and without access to any course of appeal. Why, because their products caused damage and/or death, without asking.
Tobacco companies are especially liable, in that they continually deliberated to design the most addicitive products possible for maximum profits, without regard to the damage they caused.
We can justify the majority for saying YES, because no one forced any one to smoke, did the tobacco company buy the cigarettes for smokers, NO!! did they force them to smoke?? No!
then whose fault is it?? I've never smoked in my life and I don't want these people with no will power to gain anything!! You chose your path ,deal with it like the rest of the population, if you drink to access do you sue the SaQ? Nooo So why should you get special status??
A company should be responsible for the product that it sells. They have to take responsibility for the damage done to their consumers. If they cannot render their products safe to use, they should not be allowed to make a profit.
I think that they should pay up I was only 11yrs old when i started there were no warnings other than to not INHALE what a joke..DON,T INHALE WAH ???that,s like telling somone not to swallow a beer.. if I had known the health risks believe me I would never have started. I gave up booze real easy no d.t.s like smokes .I,ve tried champix no go tried the gums no go .whats next really I think big&small tabacco companies should be forced to pay for our health & dental bills.. pay threw the arse they should.. wish I knew how to get in on this lawsuit.
Maybe government should be sued for allowing this product to be sold.
i'm 53 years of age just quit smoking on february 14th 2012, I started smoking in 1972 just turned a teenager, smoked 40 years i'm fine I didnt have 1 of the tabbacco companies hold a gun to my head telling me to smoke. The gov't has been raking the tax's for years to help pay the health wake up and leave the companies alone and dont waste the courts time with unnessary law suits that no one was forced to purchase there product,should i go sue corning ware I dropped 1 of there plates and cut my foot there was no warning lable to tell that could happen to me.......there all idiots for wasting everyones time.
For decades there's been taxes on cigarettes; yet these Anti Smokers say the tobacco co. haven't paid anything? Get real the health dep'ts have been getting Millions perhaps Billions per year, and putting that money in their general account.
Keep pushing Anti Smokers, you will soon reach the end of the elastic effect of your "denormalization" campaign and all of you will be liable for more deaths then tobacco diseases ever has. The perfect example of their responsibility is the elderly man who died in Jan31/o7 after being locked out of his (nursing) home, or the store clerks killed/harmed because (they want to get their health care costs back) high taxes are now causing the robberies of stores.
I can not belive how stupid poeple can get! what else can poeple come up with to get money and continue there addiction? comen sence if you don't want health issues from smoking don't smoke.
I was duped by CBC! The title says "Should big tobacco pay for smoking-related illnesses?" yet the survey, I realized after clicking yes, says "Should tobacco companies pay damages for smoking-related illnesses?"
I don't think they should pay damages, but perhaps they should pay for the extra health care that their consumers will inevitably require, so that the rest of us non-smokers aren't footing the bill for someone elses' choice.
I'm a non-smoker whose husband smokes. I've been saying for years that smoking, at some point in time, will be looked upon as a holocaust, in which government knew of the consequences but chose to keep the tax money rolling into their coffers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in court. My heart and prayers go out to those plaintiffs, whose health, life, and family have been compromised due to smoking.
cmon! Hello? At what point does a person take responsibility for their own choices? Ok perhaps someone who smoked 50 years ago when cigarettes didn't carry a warning label But tobacco companies have complied with legislation requiring those warning labels for some time now and I would say THAT shifts responsibility to those who choose to disregard those warnings.
they were stupid (duped) for years…
They (smokers) check first mental health… I would bun all lawsuit related human stupidity from the court.
Seriously? How can the majority of people say yes?