There aren't labs just sitting idle waiting for money, or new therapies or ideas waiting for funding. All of it, public and private, goes into the same kitty. Only thing is: research from public dollars results in private profit.
The dirty little secret is that Big Tobacco PRETENDS to object and makes a half-hearted effort to oppose all these new states and fed taxes, but going back to the MULTI-BILLION shakedown by the Attorneys Generals and Masters Agreement, the Tobacco companies did not get hurt hardly at all, cuz they simply passed the costs on to we the smoking consurmers and while they were at it, tacked on a nice sized increase for themselves which was hidden in the tax increases.
Sanctimonious a*****e!
Give us an accounting of the billion$ smokers have already paid and will continue to pay until 2023... "for recovery of their tobacco-related, health-care costs"
The tobacco companies have not paid a cent; Smokers are paying all of it in continuing taxes.
Before even thinking of extorting more give us a full accounting of how the money has been spent so far, and to whom paid.
Tobacco-related health care costs? My hiney!