From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 1997 00:00:08 +0800
To: Tim May <cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: The Recent Trend in "Collective Contracts"
In-Reply-To: <v03102805afeab8b29d2f@[207.167.93.63]>
Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19970711102559.00699960@panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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At 09:29 AM 7/10/97 -0700, Tim May wrote:
>
>1. The "tobacco agreement." Supposedly a deal involving the transfer of
>$360 billion from some number of tobacco companies in exchange for dropping
>of liability suits, immunity from future claims, voluntary restrictions (!)
>on advertising, etc. (And the "etc." is especially complicated in this huge
>case.)

Note that the tobacco agreement was announced the same day as the NYT Net 
Threat story about how a drug culture is thriving unopposed on the Net.  The 
coincidence of these two events suggests what will happen to the Tobacco 
Settlement whether or not it is formally approved.

Just as third party political advertising defeated campaign regulations, I 
expect third party "advertizing" for controversial substances to defeat 
"voluntary" ad bans.

There are already plenty of cigarette sites on the Net and even though "Big 
Tobacco" may try and use copyright law to restrict pro cigarette third party 
"advertizing", those attempts will not succeed very well.  Boutique tobacco 
brands drop shipped from Mexico can play a part as well.  "Death's Head" 
cigarettes are supposed to be selling pretty well in the UK.  Cigarettes and 
cigars are all throughout pop culture these days (Julia Roberts looked good 
chain smoking in "My Best Friend's Wedding") and the authorities don't have 
much of an argument that will be successful against "cool" cigarettes.  The 
more they warn about cigarettes killing you, the cooler they'll seem.  Poor 
Gen X, Y, and Zers lack much of substance to revolt against these days so the 
Health Nazis are supplying a valuable authority figure to serve as the object 
of such a revolt.  

Heroic Mohawk (and other) cigarette smugglers smashed the high Canadian 
tobacco taxes a few years ago.  In a market in which everything is a boutique 
good and anyone with a little cash can put together a whole purchasing, 
production, and distribution chain overnight without actually hiring anyone, 
ordinary entrepreneurs will be able to supply the demand for cigarettes even 
while the Health Nazis think they've accomplished something by gelding "Big 
Tobacco."  They haven't noticed that size doesn't matter much in efficient 
markets. 

DCF

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