Are tobacco business operations allowed under Jewish law? While most of the cigarette recent smoking comments on Hirhurim discussed whether smoking is permitted to individuals, Charlie Hall raised a question of Jewish business ethics:
"Is it acceptable to derive benefit from selling addictive substances? This is not a theoretical issue: [James S. Tisch,] The President/CEO of Loews, which owns Lorillard Tobacco, is on the board of Mesorah Heritage Foundation [1]. [Lorillard] is the oldest tobacco company in the US. Their original mill is still standing along the Bronx River in the New York Botanical Garden. Here is what I found on Lorillard's website:"
"All cigarettes are dangerous and smoking can cause serious diseases, including lung cancer. Cigarette smoking can also be addictive. Lorillard supports the continuing efforts of public health authorities to inform the public about the dangers of smoking. Lorillard believes that the public should pay attention to and rely upon the Surgeon General’s warning printed on every cigarette package and in every cigarette advertisement, as well as the wealth of other information provided by public health authorities in making informed decisions about smoking.”
Does Charlie Hall have a valid point here? Besides tobacco companies, it would also be worthwhile to consider Jewish law on tobacco advertising and retail cigarette sales.
Kaspit
[1] The Artscroll Talmud is a project of the Mesorah foundation. The Tisch family, of course, is involved in numerous other Jewish philanthropies besides Artscroll.
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