16. Evolution of Tobacco Law

Environmental Politics and Law (EVST 255)

This lecture continues the previous class's discussion of tobacco law. In this class, Professor Wargo highlights the unique issues of freedom of choice and freedom of speech that tobacco regulation create, as tobacco regulation restricts individual choice and corporate freedom of speech via advertising restrictions. Tobacco law also illustrates the difficulties of managing environmental hazards in the face of an industry with the resources to fund its own research and to fight regulation at every step of the process. The passing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009 is held up as a success story in tobacco regulation, as it places stricter standards on tobacco corporations.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Efforts on the Part of the Industry to Understand Nicotine
11:07 - Chapter 2. Tobacco Industry Challenges FDA; Various Settlements
20:24 - Chapter 3. If It's a Drug, Where's the Benefit?
25:25 - Chapter 4. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
31:12 - Chapter 5. Control Programs; Mass Media; Science and Industry
37:09 - Chapter 6. Industry Arguments; Environmental and Consumer Group Arguments

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale
Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2010.