Chirag Amin

Cigarettes: Business Is Still Smoking

PMI's legal exposure is minimized due to two main reasons:

1. Philip Morris has learned much from previous lawsuits.....many warnings appear on their cigarettes. They know how to safeguard themselves.

2. The U.S. has perhaps the most liberal court system in the world....what other nation would allow the types of tobacco lawsuits that we've seen proceed forward....no one is putting a gun to people's heads to smoke

Combine this with the fact that Philip Morris would be able to 1) openly advertise their product in other nations (e.g., TV commercials, etc.) and that 2) they would be able to sell to minors and that alone speaks volumes of their business model.

Bottom Line: If you are stupid enough to smoke, then you should own up to the destruction that it causes to your body....People in other countries can't blame Philip Morris for lung cancer just as they can't blame McDonald's for making them fat and giving them heart disease.....Courts can't shield people from stupidity.