Jump to full article: The Oregonian, 2002-03-27
Intro: About now, executives at tobacco giant Philip Morris may be crafting an in-house warning label to paste to the Northwest corner of their sales maps: "Pitching cigarettes in Oregon could be hazardous to our economic health." . .
The Portland verdict ought to send two messages to Philip Morris and other cigarette makers. One is that in Oregon, at least, juries are eager to punish tobacco companies for deceptive marketing over the years of "low tar" and "ultralight" cigarettes that actually are just as harmful to health as regular smokes. The tobacco industry faces similar lawsuits in 11 other states.
The second message is that Oregon is no longer fertile ground for growing tobacco or smokers. The state's expanded anti-smoking effort launched in 1996 is taking hold. Thanks to its Quit Line, tobacco prevention campaign and other programs, cigarette smoking in Oregon is down 29 percent, far better than the 13 percent drop nationally. . .
Massive jury awards against the tobacco industry grab the headlines.
But not smoking is the real victory.
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