Remember When Lighting Up a Camel Was the Best Thing in the World?

This video shows a doctor having a smoke in his office. I wonder what will happen to a doctor’s business today if he tried a stunt like that?

In the 1950’s and 60’s it was common for tobacco companies to pay doctors to advertise cigarettes. Linking cancer to smoking was denied for many years, and was that due to people being uneducated or just greedy? Tobacco companies still exist today and now they just put health warnings on the packs and are not allowed to advertise anymore. Shouldn’t it be illegal to use an addictive substance like tobacco, just like it is illegal to take heroin or cocaine? People will probably tell me that you can never ban tobacco, it is not like cocaine or heroin. Is that just because of the greedy tobacco companies that put this idea into our heads?

Barney and Fred loafing off and taking a Winston smoke while the girls do all the work. Ahh those were the days. The cartoon was sponsored by Winston.

Cigarette for young and old alike. Just the best thing before watching a good disney movie.

Here is Fred Flintstone buying some Winston smokes in a cigarette shop.

Top tv shows were sponsored by cigarette companies in the 1950’s to 1970’s. It was some of the first products ever to be widely advertised on television. It is no wonder that in America alone about 2000 kids light up their first cigarette on a daily basis. The American cancer society claims that in 2007 20% of teenagers in high school smoked, and even worse 6% of middle school children smoked. 2007 is just a little bit over a year ago, so has all this ban on advertising helped or should their be more drastic measures taken?

How about a great gift for Christmas. Ten packs of Camel.

If Camel is not to your liking, then maybe you will like some Winston Cigarettes for Christmas.

Daddy, I just wrote my Santa letter, can we please mail it today. Sure my son, let me just have a look at your list. I see that on the top of your list is 10 packs of Lucky Strike. Yes daddy, I want to be just as Kool as you. Ok, so let’s see what is the second item on your list, 10 packs of Camel. Children look up to their parents and if we as parents smoke, how can we expect our children not to?

Peter Stuyvesant advertisement from 1985 showed that smoking was the greatest thing on earth and something wonderful for young people.

According to Peter Stuyvesant, smoking is the most thrilling thing in the world. If your a smoker, you will be able to do all the extreme sports in the world. They just happen to leave out that later in your life the extreme sport of smoking will turn into extreme illness.

This is why smoking Chesterfield is truly good for you.

Yeah of course. It is scientifically proven that Chesterfield doesn’t have any negative effects, maybe other brands do, but Chesterfield; definitely not.

Only True Men smoked.

How about smoking on Airplanes?

Cigarettes tasting like good hygiene. It is preferred by dentists.

Absolutely, smoking is good hygiene. Just have a look at this photo.

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Now, who asked the question why Barack Obama is a smoker?

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The strategy of cigarette companies today are still schocking. British American Tobacco Company reported in an investor presentation a gross turnover of $42bn in 2007 of which $4.8bn was profit. Their key strategy is to increase their volume through organic growth and mergers and acquisitions. Their priority markets are the Far East, Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.(I wonder why?) The future growth expectation of British American Tobacco is 6% p.a on average. Tobacco is not recession proof, but surely recession resistant.

This is definitely a great company to invest in if you purely look at return on investment, but how is this different to selling drugs to kids on the streets? Invest in other peoples demise.