R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Loses $37.5 Million Battle Over Lung Cancer Victim

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post



A South Florida jury this week found the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company partially responsible for the death of smoker Laura Grossman, who in 1995 died of lung cancer at the age of 38. The jury awarded $37.5 million to Grossman's family, which included $22.5 million in punitive damages against the tobacco company to deter R.J. Reynolds from trying to lure teenagers in the future, according to Marketwired.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company has appealed the verdict, claiming that Grossman's husband, Jan Grossman, should be held responsible for Laura's death for "failing to change another person’s course of conduct.” As part of the court ruling, Grossman's husband and two children were also awarded $15 million in compensatory damages.

R.J. Reynolds did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

During the 20-day trial in Broward County, Fla., attorneys of the family stated that Laura was too young to understand the risks of smoking when she started, and that R.J Reynolds specifically targets innocent teens with their products and marketing. Grossman began smoking when she was 15 years old, according to UPI.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/rj-reynolds_n_3697648.html

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This needs to happen about 1000 times a day.

[rurallib]

1. RJ Reynolds ( and others) make a product when used as directed

results in a painful death. And they believe they should not be held liable?

[CSStrowbridge]

2. That's the key

When you smoke as intended, if causes incredible harm. People can abuse alcohol, for instance, but there's no safe limit for tobacco.

[7962]

3. While your statement is often used, its not true

Otherwise EVERYONE who smoked would die from lung cancer or heart disease. This woman knew smoking wasnt good for you just like anyone who eats 2 Big Macs every day knows it too. My grandmother used to call them "coffin nails" and that was in the 70's when I was a child. I never smoked a day in my life because I knew it too. My dad even smoked for awhile and said when he started (in 1952 in Korea) his mom tore him a new one and said "those things will kill you.
Let's sue everybody because we do things we know we shouldnt do. Sue the distillers because someone becomes an alcoholic and dies from liver failure.
They'll never pay a dime.

[LeftishBrit]

5. She started smoking as a kid, and became addicted: a common pattern

15-year-olds often have poor judgement and make poor choices; it's part of being immature. Many of these poor choices are easy to overcome later on; but smoking addiction is not so easy for many people to overcome. I've known people who were addicted to both tobacco and harder drugs, and were able to kick the hard drug habits, but not the tobacco habit.

Drug pushers get punished; so should the pushers of tobacco. (I do not think that the use of either tobacco or other drugs should be criminalized; but pushing, especially to minors, is another matter.)

Alcohol is a somewhat different matter. Many people use alcohol moderately with no ill effects; and most people who use alcohol don't become alcoholics.

Not everyone who smokes becomes addicted (my mother smoked moderately when young and was able to give up instantly when she chose); but most do. And not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer or heart disease; but most people who smoke become less healthy than if they didn't smoke; and the average life expectancy is significantly lower.

[7962]

12. I agree with your points,

but the post i commented on stated that if you use it as directed, it WILL kill you.
Anyone CAN quit if they just do what their docs tell them.
Of course many 15 yr olds make poor choices, but THEY make the choice. She and I are about the same age and when i was 15 everybody knew cigs were bad for you even though some of my friends smoked anyway. They were the "cool" kids.

Many here on DU are in favor of dropping the illegal drug laws. But would they then be in favor of suing the companies that make the drugs that millions would be addicted to? Or OD'd on?

You choose to smoke, its on you. I just dont agree with trying to get millions out of a company because you kept using it.

[kwassa]

16. Many can't quit because nicotine is an addictive drug. ADDICTIVE.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-addiction/nicotine-addictive

Is nicotine addictive?

Yes. Most smokers use tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and abuse, even in the face of negative health consequences. It is well documented that most smokers identify tobacco use as harmful and express a desire to reduce or stop using it, and nearly 35 million of them want to quit each year. Unfortunately, more than 85 percent of those who try to quit on their own relapse, most within a week.

Research has shown how nicotine acts on the brain to produce a number of effects. Of primary importance to its addictive nature are findings that nicotine activates reward pathways—the brain circuitry that regulates feelings of pleasure. A key brain chemical involved in mediating the desire to consume drugs is the neurotransmitter dopamine, and research has shown that nicotine increases levels of dopamine in the reward circuits. This reaction is similar to that seen with other drugs of abuse and is thought to underlie the pleasurable sensations experienced by many smokers. For many tobacco users, long-term brain changes induced by continued nicotine exposure result in addiction.

Nicotine’s pharmacokinetic properties also enhance its abuse potential. Cigarette smoking produces a rapid distribution of nicotine to the brain, with drug levels peaking within 10 seconds of inhalation. However, the acute effects of nicotine dissipate quickly, as do the associated feelings of reward, which causes the smoker to continue dosing to maintain the drug’s pleasurable effects and prevent withdrawal.

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, craving, depression, anxiety, cognitive and attention deficits, sleep disturbances, and increased appetite. These symptoms may begin within a few hours after the last cigarette, quickly driving people back to tobacco use. Symptoms peak within the first few days of smoking cessation and usually subside within a few weeks. For some people, however, symptoms may persist for months.

[7962]

20. So dont start. And dont start drugs either.

But just because you do start doesnt mean you get to sue for millions. And your article states that effects begin wearing off after a few days ad subside after a few weeks with some taking a few months. So you can quit with help. But at some point you're responsible for STAYING off them.

[kwassa]

21. I think you missed the entire point of the lawsuit.

[7962]

22. No, i understand the targeting of young folks was the focus of the suit,

I just don't agree with the verdict. I was 15 around the same time as she and the only reason any of my friends smoked was to try to look tougher or be with the cool older kids. We all knew it wasnt good for you. And i didnt grow up anywhere more remarkable than most other kids, nor am I any smarter than the average bear. And the only ads i remember from the time were Marlboro Man and the like. I think a lot of the ads supposedly targeted at youth are in the eye of the beholder.
I also know I'm in the minority here!

[Lasher]

7. I assume your dad was in the military in 1952.

In 1969 I was in basic training in the US Army. They would give us smoke breaks. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em! If you were not a smoker they would give you a distasteful task to perform while all the smokers took it easy. That was when I started smoking. And why not, our C rations (technically MCI) included a free miniature pack of four cigarettes and a book of matches.

Your grandmother shouldn't have been so hard on your dad. I'll bet his experience was a lot like mine.

[jmowreader]

23. They did that shit in the 1980s too

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em, everyone not smoking get back to work" was my drill sergeant's refrain...my platoon started the cycle with 50 guys in it and 30 nonsmokers, at graduation we had 47 guys and three nonsmokers.

[Ilsa]

8. Smoking as a teenager affects the brain differently.

The brains of teenagers are not fully developed. Starting smoking as a teen makes addiction much more likely, and much harder to break.

The tobacco companies know they can create more addicts to their products if they start them young enough.

Thank goodness people are starting to see what scum and liars the tobacco CEOs are. They even raised their hands and swore before Congress that tobacco wasn't addictive. Bastards.

[MotherPetrie]

15. +1

[SunSeeker]

19. That is also one of the reasons we made the drinking age 21.

Your brain does not finish forming (particularly the parts associated with judgment) until your mid-20's.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110923/Human-brain-development-does-not-stop-at-adolescence-Research.aspx

http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/

[ET Awful]

10. Big Macs don't create a physical dependency. n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. In Canada, advertising is banned by federal law.

.
.
.

None in newspapers/magazines, nor on tv, radio, billboards etc.

In Ontario

(not sure about other Provinces) stores can't put "cigarettes" on their outside sign, nor have an inside sign,

and the cigarettes themselves must be kept totally out of sight.

However, for over a decade the tobacco companies have been fighting our governments -

even going so far as claiming the laws/bans "infringed" on their rights under our "Charter of Human Rights".

I am a smoker, have been for way too long - I started young, as do most smokers I think.

Hopefully the next generation or two will benefit from not seeing cigarettes displayed all over the place.

Tobacco companies are getting desperate here - if they can't lure in the young, and all us old smokers die (and we will),

they are gonna lose a pile of money.



CC

[bhikkhu]

11. That was my hope too, but now there is a huge enthusiasm for e-cigs

...and everyone seems to forget that nicotine is a powerfully addictive narcotic that leads to heart disease.

I asked my 13 year old daughter the other day if she'd heard of "vaping". Of course she had, and she wondered what I thought was wrong with it...its like the last 50 years of fighting the tobacco companies never happened.

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. Do some research, it's not the nicotine that leads to heart disease.

.
.
.

I repeat

it's not the nicotine that leads to heart disease.

It's the tars that gum up the lungs, and a chemical called benzene that causes cancer.

yep - nicotine even on it's own is addictive,

but it won't kill you.

CC

[bhikkhu]

17. Here's some research:

"The finding that nicotine is as effective as cigarette smoke in enhancing cellular structural changes, and breakdown of scaffold proteins by vascular smooth muscle cells, suggests that replacing cigarette smoking by nicotine treatment may have limited beneficial effects on atherosclerosis," said lead researcher Chi-Ming Hai, professor of medical science at Brown University in a statement released on Thursday.

The new findings highlight the multistep process of plaque formation which appeared to be largely influenced by nicotine..."

http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/9169/20120223/cigarette-smoke-nicotine-cardiovascular-disease-benefits-smoke-free-products.htm

Its not hard to find enthusiasm for cigarette alternatives and dismissal of the dangers, even where they lead to nicotine addiction. Generally its said explicitly or you have to read between the lines that they believe nicotine replacement is inherently safer than smoking, and inherently temporary. If they're right, fine, but if not, and you wind up vaping for years instead of smoking for years, the likelihood is still heart disease.

I don't see e-cigs sold to young people as a way to quit smoking, I see them sold as cleaner, cheaper and more stylish ways to get addicted, and stay addicted, to nicotine. They think its all safe and fine, based essentially on short-term studies about how it can be used to quit smoking.

Its frustrating to see a whole new generation sucked in by the same crap that killed or disabled so many of the last few generations.

[truedelphi]

18. Thank you for your post.

I find myself relieved that now there is this "better way to smoke," and didn't realize the problems it causes. (Not a smoker, but i know each generation thinks it is cool to do this.)

[stonecutter357]

6. K&R

I had a MI [Heart attack] from smoking.

[kestrel91316]

9. Big Tobacco stole my father from me when he was 47 and I was 23.

I'd personally off all the CEOs if I knew how to use a gun, owned one, and the opportunity presented.

[reformist2]

14. I'm actually not a fan of verdicts that award individual families like this.

It's absurd to think that one family of one victim gets $37.5 million because they had the resources to hire a good legal team, whereas countless millions of other families get nothing. That's not justice.