by Jimmy on January 30, 2009
1999: the government initiates its first federal case against large tobacco companies. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v PHILIP MORRIS USA INC. commences.
This case is important. Tobacco companies have been completely successful fending off lawsuits for three decades. Very recently, however, victories both in and out of court have uncovered mountains of internal tobacco documents. This finally provides the evidence the Department of Justice needs to prosecute the tobacco industry. Their goal: to punish the industry for decades of fraud. They cannot seek money for past medical damages, but will try to prove fraud and show that the industry has been in violation of RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
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by Jimmy on January 30, 2009
It’s important to understand a little bit of the history of tobacco litigation. The tobacco industry has been very effective at fending off legal challenges, but the world is starting to come together in an effort to maintain global health. The United States has been pivotal in initiating litigation against manufacturers; legal battles in the US have carved a model for public health lawyers.
It’s helpful to look at the history of tobacco litigation in three waves:
The first two waves are characterized by a highly successful scorched earth trial strategy, described by R. J. Reynolds’ attorney J. Michael Jordan:
“[T]he aggressive posture we have taken regarding depositions and discovery in general continues to make these cases extremely burdensome and expensive for plaintiffs’ lawyers, particularly sole practitioners. To paraphrase General Patton, the way we won these cases was not by spending all of [R.J. Reynolds’] money, but by making that other son of a bitch spend all of his.”
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by helen on January 29, 2009
The sight of someone pulling out a cig in the middle of this crowded Borders café would be bizarre; and if that someone were bold enough to “light up”, furrowed stares would immediately laser through the café. Indignant whispers swish around. Finally, the café barista will walk over and gently ask the perpetrator to please go outside, 20 feet away from the store to smoke.
But careful! Situated directly across to the Borders is a Marshalls and 90 degrees to Borders and Marshalls is Target, all which require the distance of 20 feet between the smoker and the three stores. As the smoker huddles outside in the winter cold, puffing away in his one allotted square foot, the patrons in Borders stare out at him through frosty big windows as if he’s some rare zoo specimen in its natural (and small) habitat.
California is not a friendly place to smokers.
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by Jimmy on January 29, 2009
An ounce of prevention is not always worth a pound of cure. Though public health advocates are very vocal about prevention programs, choosing between prevention and treatment can be very complicated. Many prevention programs, such as childhood vaccination, are extremely effective, but we should examine many factors, such as cost-effectiveness, discounted future returns, and various ethical issues.
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by helen on December 10, 2008
Robb Davis
Today on healthtwine we have our first interview, and it’s a great inaugural post. We’re having a conversation with Robb Davis, a veteran of the development field.
He’s been Director of Health Initiatives at Freedom from Hunger, a nonprofit that couples microfinance with health education for women. He has decades of experience and has been a part of many other international non-profit organizations, and it’s very fortunate to be able to get some of his thoughts.
In this interview, we talk about the role of non-traditional health programs around the world, the role of advocates in promoting change , some examples of global policy impact , and some avenues for promoting the health of human beings .
Here’s a brief summary of his points:
- We know that global health is a very multifaceted issue, but we need to do better in reaching out across disciplines
- We need to not only supply health solutions, but also teach people how to use them effectively
- Advocates are essential! They connect the people and the stories on the ground with policy makers
- Many government policies, such as child labor laws or family planning rules, have a large impact on global health, positive and negative
- There are interesting things being done in health, such as direct legal action or battles over food sovereignty, and is bad to be too complacent, but we need to remember to be patient when tackling these large, structural issues
With that said, we’ll let Robb speak for himself: [click to continue…]
