A wonderful example of corporate-government racketeering (we're not so different)

[wum]

In China, cigarettes are a kind of miracle drug

Guiyang, China — Here's some exciting medical news from the Chinese government: Smoking is great for your health.
Cigarettes, according to China's tobacco authorities, are an excellent way to prevent ulcers.

They also reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, relieve schizophrenia, boost your brain cells, speed up your thinking, improve your reactions and increase your working efficiency.

And all those warnings about lung cancer? Nonsense.


Two thirds of Chinese men are
smokers, and surveys show that
as many as 90 per cent believe
their habit has little effect on
their health, or is good for them.

[...]

Welcome to the bizarre parallel universe of China's state-owned tobacco monopoly, the world's most successful cigarette-marketing agency.

With annual sales of 1.8 trillion cigarettes, the Chinese monopoly is responsible for almost one-third of all cigarettes smoked on the planet today.

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this is exactly what Eisenhower warned us about