Ethical Concerns and Background for Tobacco Companies - Essay Example

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze the unethical actions of the tobacco industry. Cigarettes are one of the most addictive drugs in the world due to the fact that it contains nicotine. People that smoke cigarettes are slowing killing themselves since smoking causes lung cancer, heart diseases, and stroke among other diseases. Cigarette smoking causes the death of approximately 5 million per year and the number of yearly deaths is expected to climb to 8 million by the year 2030 (Cdv, 2012).

The ethnic group that smokes the most in the United States is Indian Americans possibly due to the fact that tobacco smoking has been ingrained into their culture. One of the most unethical aspects about cigarette companies is the fact that people that do not smoke are at danger due to second hand smoking. It is estimated that 53,800 innocent people die each year from second hand smoking (No-smoke, 2012). The tobacco companies are willingly producing a product that puts at risk the health of the entire global population.

Tobacco companies are generating billions of dollars in revenues, but the industry is not accountable for the damage it causes to society. The governments of all 210 countries around the world are suffering a major financial blow due to the actions of this unethical industry. It is estimated that the tobacco industry is costing society $193 billion a year in lost productivity and health care expenditures. Everyone suffers from this epidemic due to the fact that the medical expenses of ill people that suffer from lung cancer and other diseases caused by smoking are passed on to the payers of medical plans.

The United States has one of the highest medical costs in the world. Since tobacco smoking does not discriminate between smokers and non-smokers nobody is safe. Tobacco smoking is extremely dangerous in certain demographic groups such as minors and pregnant women. Usually under age teenagers try cigarette smoking for the first time during high school. Due to the addiction of the drug people that smoke early in life are more susceptible to becoming lifetime smokers. Some of the health problems caused by tobacco smoking among children and teens include coughing spells, frequent headaches, respiratory illnesses, reduced physical fitness, shortness of breath, and addiction to nicotine (Cancer, 2012).

Adults that smoke should try to avoid smoking around children. Smoking is extremely dangerous for women that are pregnant. Smoking is harmful to the pregnant women and the unborn baby. Babies that are born from pregnant women that smoke are more likely to have birth defects and premature pregnancies. Pregnant women should also avoid being near smokers during pregnancy due to the fact that second hand smoking can also hurt the unborn child. One of the reasons that that tobacco companies are so powerful is due to the fact that governments place hefty taxes on the sale of cigarettes.

In 2006 in the United States the government was generating $2 in taxes for every box of 20 cigarettes sold (Axdor, 2006). The government has become dependent on the tax revenues generated by cigarettes. Tobacco companies have also over their history utilized questionable advertising tactics. Their promotions make it seem as if smoking is something cool and safe when in reality it is a heath hazard. The time has come for the world to take a stronger stance