Waiting to Exhale in Tobacco War

Although I am no fan of the tobacco industry, I could never understand how anyone could believe that a person smoking two packs of cigarettes a day for the past 40 years did not know that he or she was taking a big health risk--in spite of what they may have read in tobacco advertisements (“Little of Tobacco Money Goes to Kicking Habit,” Aug. 26).

Now I see that the attorneys general who brought the suits thought that the money would be used for anti-tobacco campaigns and other health-related expenses even though there was no requirement to do so. It’s all beginning to make sense.

Sam Shaffer

Redondo Beach

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In his Aug. 25 letter, Rod Guyton says smokers should be held accountable for their own actions. What he fails to see is that tobacco companies deliberately withheld knowledge of the dangers of their product and printed warnings only when forced to do so. They also targeted impressionable young people with advertising. For this they bear responsibility.

Tim Swanson

Torrance