Friday, May 30, 2008
Who to Blame for Smoking?
As thousands of people sue the tobacco companies for their smoking illnesses, it comes as no surprise that the government is partly responsible.
In the 1950s the Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan put the financial benefits of cigarettes over the nation's health. Mr MacMillan, who was prime minister from 1957 to 1963, said the revenue from smoking was too valuable to inform the public of the link between smoking and lung cancer.
This may have been 50 years ago, but it's a scandal that thousands of people are dying prematurely because the Government didn't want to tell them the truth.
In the 1950s the Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan put the financial benefits of cigarettes over the nation's health. Mr MacMillan, who was prime minister from 1957 to 1963, said the revenue from smoking was too valuable to inform the public of the link between smoking and lung cancer.
This may have been 50 years ago, but it's a scandal that thousands of people are dying prematurely because the Government didn't want to tell them the truth.
