BEIJING — China’s addiction to huge revenues from its state-owned tobacco monopoly is preventing anti-smoking measures, potentially costing millions of lives in the country with the world’s largest number of smokers, experts warned Thursday. The health and other costs of smoking already exceed the tobacco industry’s economic contributions by at least $9 billion, said a report prepared by a group of prominent Chinese publi ... Jump to full article >>

Where do its millions go? Less to ads and grants, more to aggressive investments, big salaries … and the CEO’s house. The American Legacy Foundation is a rare example of a public charity being born with a silver spoon. Even before it began operating in 1999, the foundation was bequeathed more than $1 billion from the settlement of a massive lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of 46 states against the country’s major tobacco companies ... Jump to full article >>

When Marianne Jordan, of Norwalk, heard this week that Democrats in the Legislature were once again considering increasing the cigarette tax, she fired off a frustrated letter to her state representatives, asking them to oppose the move. “I think it’s ridiculous,” said Jordan, who estimated she smokes about a half a pack daily. “Even if I didn’t smoke, I’d still think it’s ridiculous.” Earlier this ... Jump to full article >>