Book on the Tobacco Industry and Public Policy

[Christian99]

If anyone is interested in reading and thinking more about the tobacco industry, I recommend Robert Proctor's Golden Holocaust (U of CA P, 2012).  It's a carefully researched, thought provoking,  and troubling book that shows, in substantial detail, the ways in which companies manipulate the chemistry of cigarettes for maximum addictiveness and spend billions on fostering/normalizing the associations between smoking and "freedom."  It also offers a pretty persuasive argument on phased in abolition, highlighting how cigarettes are fundamentally unlike other consumer products and are more akin to (and should be regulated/prohibited like) substances such as Thalidamide, PCBs, etc.  In general, I support decriminalization regarding drugs, but this book has deeply informed my thinking on the benefits and possibilities of eliminating the availbility of corporate tobacco products. 

 

Christian99

21+ Years Quit   ib

Edited April 2, 2023 by Christian99