Who's next? Precedent Could Lead To Suits In Other Industries - Once the tobacco industry pays billions of dollars to settle under the proposed agreement, government and consumer groups may begin to pressure other industries to defray medical costs that their products helped create. Makers of liquor may be a target. But no maker of an unhealthy product is safe, not even makers of barbecue grills, says Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute. "It's absolutely clear that charcoal broiling is carcinogenic.'' - By Del Jones, USA TODAY

America's Most Wanted: Who is Joe Camel - "Al Gore smokes two packs a day when he's on the campaign trail, and there's an estimate that his trail work for the mid-term '98 elections will cut months out of his life span..." - By John Calvin Batchelor. >From the pages of George magazine for a witty look at the U.S. federal government's Camel-hunt.

Tobacco Settlement Nothing But A Shakedown - "Turn personal decisions over to the government and be prepared for an erosion of freedom never before experienced in this country. But preserve the rule of law -- even for tobacco companies, manufacturers of high-fat foods, and assorted other bad actors--and we safeguard the liberty of all citizens, those we honor as well as those we disdain." - By Robert A. Levy. We link to the Cato Institute for a thoughtful on the U.S. tobacco settlement.

Against Smokers, ‘Swarms of Officers to Harass Our People’ - "There is a true public hate-campaign going on in this country against smokers, the likes of which we do not see against any other minority." We link to the web page of the Claremont Institute for a piece originally published in the Orange County Register.

Cigarettes Today, Burgers Tomorrow: Why Stop at Demonizing a Legal Substance Like Tobacco? Fat Is Probably Worse - "I think I’ll sue someone. I’ve been taking terrible risks by my eating and smoking habits. In truth, I’ve taken much greater risks in my life than those two habits, but I can’t think of anyone to sue over them. Do you know a good lawyer?" From the web page of the Claremont Institute for a piece originally published in the April 1, 1997 edition of the Los Angeles Times. - By Bruce Herschensohn

TRB: Take Your Medicine - "I no longer smoke, except for the occasional cadged party cigarette, and even then I find I don't enjoy the old delivery systems as I did once. But on the Fourth of July, I am going to say the Pledge of Allegiance and light up a Marlboro, or perhaps an unfiltered Camel. It's my patriotic duty. "

Are we snuffing out problem or freedoms?"The behind-closed-doors pact reached with the nation's anti-smoking forces has wide-ranging implications--most notably in the area of First Amendment freedoms--for other out-of-favor industries and businesses." - By Thomas York - Business Journal Editor

The States vs. the Tobacco Industry: Smoke and Assorted Mirrors - What's wrong with the idea of state lawsuits against tobacco companies? More than meets the eye. We link to the web site of The Heartland Institute think tank for a recent public policy paper by Prof. Michael DeBow of the Cumberland School of Law. - By Michael E. DeBow

Pardon me if I (still) smoke - "The unintended consequence of each new restriction has been to make smoking a badge of honor, a sign of one's refusal to give in. And now, with last week's agreement--with this consensus arrived at by America's cynics and pols and buttinskies--the attractions of smoking can only grow." We link to Time magazine for an opinion - By Andrew Ferguson

Cuban cigars a big hit with U.S. visitors - Cuba's taboo in the U.S., and tobacco is a dirty word. Result? American tourists are headed to Montreal in droves for fine Cuban stogies, Ingrid Peritz reports in the Montreal Gazette.

Smoking out hypocrisy - Calgary Sun columnist Paul Jackson weighs in on the tobacco lawsuit issue with advice to Alberta's justice minister, Jon Havelock: "...forget about following in the footsteps of the Liberals and New Democrats...We need fewer laws, not more. "

The Rush To Tax The Smoking Poor - "Throw in 10 years' worth of taxes on corporate profits, and the 10-year gross government profit from smoking exceeds $50-billion, a number that dwarfs the industry's profits by 10-to-one."- By Terence Corcoran, Globe and Mail Report on Business, Tuesday, June 17, 1997

Rising Rate Of Low Birth weight Babies A Baffling Trend - "Fewer pregnant women smoke, the teen birth rate continues to fall...

European Travelling Impressions - A delightful letter send to us by Sara Mahler, a friend of FORCES, returning from an extensive three-month vacation in Europe.