TOBACCO INDUSTRY BURIED THE FACTS

JAMES K. Glassman's commentary (``Smoking is an informed, pleasurable
choice,'' Opinion, March 10) is the worst combination of truth, half-truth,
and outright lies I've seen in such a small space. Glassman is half right,
but it's the less important half that he's right about, and for the wrong
reason.

When Glassman implies that people know the dangers of smoking and make the
choice to do so anyway, he ignores the fact that the tobacco industry has
systematically hidden the true nature of tobacco addiction, and has
targeted teens with slick ads about the ``pleasure'' and ``sophistication''
of smoking. By the time these teens are smart enough to see through such
propaganda, they are hooked. Saying that smoking is an ``informed,
pleasurable choice'' in the face of these facts is disingenuous at best.

Nevertheless, I agree with Glassman that people ought to be responsible for
bearing the consequences of their choices. The tobacco industry is also
composed of people who should be held accountable for their choice to bury
the evidence of the addictiveness of nicotine, the harm smoking causes, and
the targeting of young people. So, I think that the tobacco deal is a step
in the right direction, but that it doesn't go nearly far enough. For a
piddling $368.5 billion, it lets the industry off the hook forever.

Instead, I think that the tobacco industry should pay indemnities forever
based on its revenues, and this money should be used to offset the costs to
society of smoking, including hospitalization and treatment of victims. And
if the industry passes these costs off to the consumers, that's perfectly
fair: The people choosing to smoke are then paying up front for the costs
of their own eventual health care.

Kim Helliwell
San Jose