If the war on tobacco were a spaghetti western, the anti-smoking lobby's good cowboy would run the Marlboro Man out of town, on the back (to be sure) of Joe Camel.
Life in smoke-free Anytown, U.S.A. would resume its happy, healthy pace, and wheezing villains would never be heard from again. Reality, of course, is different. In the United States, recent regulations and lawsuits have helped rein in tobacco companies. The real drama is playing out overseas, where Big Tobacco is set to lasso the lips, lungs and lives of millions in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia.
Poor nations promise greater profits. To the chagrin of the World Health Organization and anti-smoking activists everywhere, Marlboro Country has gone global.
