Tobacco.org

Guards hooked him on cigarettes, cancer victim claims 

"They hooked me," Van Houten said yesterday of the guards and counselors at the juvenile centers. "They lit our cigarettes because they wouldn't let us have matches. I'd say 80 percent, maybe 90 percent of (the juveniles) smoked." . . The state has 60 days to review the claim and decide whether to settle it. If officials take no action, Van Houten can proceed with a lawsuit.

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Seattle Times: Ill ex-smoker says state is to blame 

George Van Houten was a 15-year-old, convicted car thief living at a state-run camp for wayward teens when he puffed his first cigarette. . . Because he was a juvenile under the supervision of state counselors when he started smoking, Van Houten claims the government owes him $6 million compensation for his health problems.

"I can't say I'm mad at the state. But I think they are at least partially responsible for hooking me up to this stuff," he said recently from his home in Niceville, Fla.

On Thursday, Van Houten filed a claim against the state of Washington. The state Attorney General's Office has 60 days to respond.

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