Tobacco.org

• Late rodeo cowboy's ex-wife sues snuff company ... She seeks damages for their son; claims Copenhagen use killed his father 

Like many aspiring rodeo cowboys, Kent Cooper began chewing tobacco at a young age -- 13, to be exact.

For close to 30 years -- most of those while he was on the pro rodeo circuit -- Copenhagen was his brand of choice, until friends say he dropped the habit four or five years ago.

But the lifestyle change came too late for one of Idaho's most successful rodeo cowboys, attorneys for his ex-wife say. The Albion resident, a 13-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo in saddle bronc riding, was diagnosed with throat cancer in April 2002 and died later that year in Burley at the age of 47.

Now, Cooper's ex-wife, Susan Smith, on behalf of their son, Will, 9, is suing the manufacturer of Copenhagen. The lawsuit contends that the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. and its predecessors "hooked" Cooper on the product, and that they falsely stated for years that chewing tobacco wasn't addictive and there was no proof that it caused harm to people.

What's particularly intriguing about the case is the close relationship between the smokeless tobacco industry and the sport of rodeo.

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