Just watched The Insider, Ann

What was the impact on the tobacco industry in America after the whistleblowing and subsequent film that followed?

The tobacco companies were forced to pay compensation to addicted smokers with serious lung problems. That's what the court case in the film was about, if I remember correctly.

Just from a quick glance at google:
http://www.oplawfirm.com/2012/12/how-hard-can-a-jury-hit-big-tobacco/

Quote :

Juries have awarded substantial compensation to victims who started smoking before tobacco companies were forced to disclose the ugly truth about the harmful nature of cigarettes.

This is what Jeffrey Wigand's testimony accomplished.

It was a big deal.

A little off topic: I just got back from seeing Broken City. Now Mr. Crowe can add a corrupt politician to his roles exposing big businesses, along with The Insider(tobacco), Proof of Life(oil companies), and State of Play(media corporations and privatized military corps).

Loved this new film as much as the others. It's also another example of the actor completely disappearing, like Wigand in The Insider, into the character he's playing - highly recommend it.

I'll look forward to it, Ann! Did the sales of cigarettes decrease after the publicity or was it more a matter of compensation for smoking related illnesses? Smoking is a big problem in the UK because the cost of medical care for patients puts an enormous strain on the NHS.

I would have to look up the figures, Shelagh. Smoking has decreased in the US. Part of that is due to the realization that tobacco is as harmful as it is, and partly because of the regulations restricting smoking in public places. Learning that side-stream smoke could cause illness in non-smokers has had an effect, too.

It was a shock, back in the late 90's, when Wigand's story hit the news, that the tobacco Industry had been covering up the truth.

And the regulations that force vendors to comply with the laws about selling to minors have made it more inconvenient to buy them.

All of those factors have helped, I think.