I once got into a debate with a number of people about how big business and science conflict. Several individuals were insistent that I was somehow making an economics argument. I still don’t understand how they got to that point. What I was saying was that the truth of science often undermines the goals of business. As a result, big business will do all it can to undermine science. We’ve been seeing it forever now with oil companies and other pollution supporters (*cough*Republicans*cough*) in regards to global warming. And we see it with those awful pro-high fructose corn syrup commercials. But now an old player wants to get back in:
The head of cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc. told a cancer nurse Wednesday that while cigarettes are harmful and addictive, it is not that hard to quit.
CEO Louis C. Camilleri’s statement was in response to comments at its annual shareholder meeting in New York. Executives from the seller of Marlboro and other brands overseas spent most of the gathering sparring with members of anti-tobacco and other corporate accountability groups.
The nurse, later identified as Elisabeth Gundersen from the University of California-San Francisco, cited statistics that tobacco use kills more than 400,000 Americans and 5 million people worldwide each year. She is a member of The Nightingales Nurses, an activist group that works to focus public attention on the tobacco industry.
Gundersen also said a patient told her last week that of all the addictions he’s beaten — crack, cocaine, meth — cigarettes have been the most difficult.
After saying such a dumb thing – to a nurse, no less – surely this guy must have been doing some backtracking soon after, right? Well…
In response, the often-unapologetic Camilleri said: “We take our responsibility very seriously, and I don’t think we get enough recognition for the efforts we make to ensure that there is effective worldwide regulation of a product that is harmful and that is addictive. Nevertheless, whilst it is addictive, it is not that hard to quit. … There are more previous smokers in America today than current smokers.”
There are also more dead previous smokers in the ground than there are living smokers today.
Filed under: News | Tagged: cancer, Elisabeth Gundersen, Louis C. Camilleri, Philip Morris | 4 Comments »
For the Sake of Science 