Marlboro Man To Ride On Joe Camel Into The Sunset

Big Tobacco has struck an unprecedented, $368 billion deal to limit lawsuits over the health costs of cigarettes, but the sun may not yet set on the tobacco industry's two most recognised characters in the US.

The deal specifies that US cigarette manufacturers will compensate states for the medical costs of taking care of smoking-related ailments, pay for anti-smoking advertising, print warnings that cover a quarter of the face of cigarette packs, agree to ban billboard, Internet and sports-related campaigns, and allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate nicotine as a drug.

The manufacturers will also pay penalties if cigarette smoking among the under-18 population does not drop by 30 per cent in five years and by 60 per cent in a decade. In return, the manufacturers win amnesty against future lawsuits for past misconduct.

Although the deal looks like a classic win-win situation, it leaves out a crucial group of people