cover image Merchants of Death: The American Tobacco Industry

Merchants of Death: The American Tobacco Industry

Lawrence White, Larry C. White. Beech Tree Paperback Book, $17.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-688-06706-9

Approximately 350,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer, heart ailments or emphysema directly attributable to smoking, notes White (Human Debris). The movement for a smoke-free society is not viewed passively by the six firms that produce cigarettes in this country: they vigorously defend themselves in product liability suits (the courts are concerned about the possibility of a flood of such litigation) and they are outspoken in asserting that bans on their advertisements threaten their First Amendment rights. At the same time, however, these firms are aggressively diversifying, particularly into the food industry. They have proved to be formidable fighters, and White urges the continuation of the battle against the tobacco producers for their ``socially irresponsible conduct.'' (June)