Should tobacco companies be held responsible for smoking-related deaths?

All papers must be typed, double spaced, left aligned, using a 12pt Times New Roman font.

No headers/footers. No page numbers/watermarks.

Mission: This paper will require you choosing a topic, doing research, formulating a thesis, and writing a formal essay. You will be composing more than one draft, while using documented research, or quotes. This essay ultimately serves as your final exam.

Audience: Academic. This is a formal essay. No first person. No colloquialisms.

Topic

Should tobacco companies be held responsible for smoking-related deaths?

Yes, they should be held responsible.

Points (why yes)

1- health (fatal illness, tobacco companies can be accountable for a great percentage of lung cancer and other diseases caused by tobacco. Secondhand smokers contribute to death toll, even if you don’t smoke tobacco puts you at risk)

2- ethical (dishonesty publicity about their product which misrepresented tobacco’s harmful nature, tobacco companies hided nicotine’s severe addiction and tobacco’s secret carcinogen ingredients as mayor cause for fatal illness. They failed to conduct researches to lower the harm caused by their products, instead they increased cigarettes addiction’s power, they added illegal drugs and higher addictive substances like cocaine, morphine and ammonia. Their business practices are deplorable. They maintained their aggressive marketing campaigns targeting minorities, women and youth, to serve this purpose they even added candy and fruit flavorings to its products, etc.)

3- economic (tobacco industry must be held liable for the clean-up cost resulting from its misdeeds. They must pay for the healthcare cost resulting from tobacco related illness. Tobacco industry negligence and fraudulent practices have cost taxpayers billions in needless healthcare cost. A lawsuit is not only about obtaining compensation but it’s also a mechanism to set a precedent to reform industry misbehavior, for example alcohol, medicine and food industries; and gain policy measures in the interest of protecting public health. It could help to reduce tobacco use. It could include a ban in tobacco sponsorships, prohibition in tobacco cartoon characters and further restrictions on youth access to tobacco, etc.)

Counterpoints (why not)

1- moral (is morally wrong, smokers free will, liberty of rights, none is pointing a gun on you to smoke)

2- economics (tobacco industry, lots of jobs, taxes, etc. also would have to sue alcohol companies, food companies and so on)

3- social (socially wrong, tobacco was cool in former Americans’ society, widely published by every social media, magazines, television and movies, these media companies should be held accountable for tobacco’s society spread and posterior fatal impact too)

There are seven tasks to this assignment.