I mentioned to my partner a week or so ago (in reference to what, I have no idea) that with the arrival of all the smoking cessation aids the past decade, I suspected the tobacco companies had been altering their shit to make it even more additive.
After all; people used to quit without all the "help" and seems now people have more & more trouble. I was thinking: it is not likely that all these people are that different now... (he kind of agreed it was possible, but also suggested I might have my aluminum foil hat on too tightly!)
Now today I read, hmmm:
From the Harvard School of Public Health, "For immediate release: Thursday, January 18, 2007"
Reanalysis of Cigarette Content Confirms Tobacco Companies Have Increased Addictive Nicotine 11 Percent Over Recent Seven-Year Period
Boston, MA--A reanalysis of nicotine yield from major brand name cigarettes sold in Massachusetts from 1997 to 2005 has confirmed that manufacturers have steadily increased the levels of this agent in cigarettes.
MmmKayyy. Further in to the report, the program director George Connolly summarizes:
"Our findings call into serious question whether the tobacco industry has changed at all in its pursuit of addicting smokers since signing the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 with the State Attorneys General. Our analysis shows that the companies have been subtly increasing the drug nicotine year by year in their cigarettes, without any warning to consumers, since the settlement. Scrutiny by the Attorneys General is imperative. Proposed federal legislation has been filed by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Ma.) that would address this abuse and bring the tobacco industry under the rules that regulate other manufacturers of drugs."
Earlier today, DelicateMonster wrote a great diary regarding the effect that corporately controlled media is having (from Moyers Report).
I think we're seeing all to well, with healthcare, media, energy companies, education (a-la Exxon/global warming)... the outcome of placing our selves and interests in the loving hands of private industry.
(As an aside; kind of weird, I've been around quite some time... for some reason this is my 1st Diary... hmmm!)