In 1996, a series of lawsuits forced tobacco companies to release millions of internal documents, which confirmed what public-health advocates and policymakers had long suspected: as early as the 1950s, the industry knew that nicotine was addictive and that cigarettes caused cancer.
Ma per proteggere i propri interessi la Big Tobacco ha deliberatamente fuorviato la pubblica opinione facendo di tutto per gettare dei dubbi sui risultati scientifici che sapeva, però, essere corretti.