Comments on: Simon Chapman and Becky Freeman: A light and mild settlement? http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2008/08/11/simon-chapman-and-becky-freeman-a-light-and-mild-settlement/ Just another blogs.bmj.com weblog Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:22:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Gallege Punya Alvis http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2008/08/11/simon-chapman-and-becky-freeman-a-light-and-mild-settlement/#comment-2727 Gallege Punya Alvis Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:09:28 +0000 http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/?p=436#comment-2727 Can I have two points clarified One,Criminal charges against addiction of young people for Tobacco, How are the Tobacco Companies liable.I strongly feel they are liable, But finding it difficult frame the charge. Second, What do you actually mean when you say "Eric LeGreasly is'cautiously lukewarm' that the settlement will result in the tobacco companies'changing their ways'" Punya Can I have two points clarified
One,Criminal charges against addiction of young people for Tobacco, How are the Tobacco Companies liable.I strongly feel they are liable, But finding it difficult frame the charge.
Second, What do you actually mean when you say “Eric LeGreasly is’cautiously lukewarm’ that the settlement will result in the tobacco companies’changing their ways’”
Punya

]]> By: Cynthia Callard http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2008/08/11/simon-chapman-and-becky-freeman-a-light-and-mild-settlement/#comment-2726 Cynthia Callard Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:26:06 +0000 http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/?p=436#comment-2726 A mess of potage The Canadian government has entered into a multi-year agreement with two of the world's biggest multinational tobacco companies to resolve both criminal and civil legal actions. They did so without, reports suggest, consulting the Health departments about what conditions should have been included in the settlement. The money provided by tobacco companies to the Canadian government were spent the very next day on a government offer to help some tobacco farmers exit the business. Future payments to government are contingent on future tobacco sales -- a perverse incentive where a more appropriate incentive that worked to decrease tobacco sales could have been devised. This agreement suggests that the lessons of the 'global settlement' and the 'master settlement' agreements have not been adequately studied, and that the health community (including health ministries) have not yet articulated clearly or forcibly the elements that should be included in any resolution of tobacco industry liability. More liability cases are set for resolution - in Canada and elsewhere. It is not too soon to begin the work of deciding what should be the outcome of these cases. A mess of potage

The Canadian government has entered into a multi-year agreement with two of the world’s biggest multinational tobacco companies to resolve both criminal and civil legal actions. They did so without, reports suggest, consulting the Health departments about what conditions should have been included in the settlement.

The money provided by tobacco companies to the Canadian government were spent the very next day on a government offer to help some tobacco farmers exit the business. Future payments to government are contingent on future tobacco sales — a perverse incentive where a more appropriate incentive that worked to decrease tobacco sales could have been devised.

This agreement suggests that the lessons of the ‘global settlement’ and the ‘master settlement’ agreements have not been adequately studied, and that the health community (including health ministries) have not yet articulated clearly or forcibly the elements that should be included in any resolution of tobacco industry liability.

More liability cases are set for resolution - in Canada and elsewhere. It is not too soon to begin the work of deciding what should be the outcome of these cases.

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