Mississippi state sues tobacco companies

The state government at Mississippi is suing the 13 major US tobacco companies, who have spent more than 10 years successfully fighting off lawsuits by smokers with lung cancer and emphysema. Mississippi is demanding that the companies, along with their trade associations and public relations consultants, reimburse the southern state for its spending on diseases such as lung cancer, emphysema, and coronary artery disease. Mississippi is a poor state with a high proportion of smokers. But, unlike many of its southern neighbours, it is not a major tobacco producer. …