[DannyTN]

"Is there anyone here who doubts for a second that tobacco industry lobbyists will get their way here? This industry will be banned or regulated out of existence, and both party’s bank accounts will be just a little bit better funded this election cycle."

Since when has the tobacco industry won any battle?

[Conscience of a Conservative]

Given the political climate re: tobacco over the past few decades, the fact that the tobacco industry still exists today is itself a huge victory for the industry.

[publius911]

Since when has the tobacco industry won any battle?

Since when have the lost any?

The tobacco companies sell as many cigarettes as they ever did, although the percentage of the population who smoke has decreased.
The tobacco companies have never lost a cent. They were all happy to collect the increased "penalty" taxes for the government.

Smokers paid every cent of the multi-hundred billion$ "penalty."

Unexpectedly (but perhaps predictably,) these huge piles of money, ostensibly to be used to defray the health cost to society due to smoking, illegally have been mostly diverted to other urgent needs, including gay programs.

I quit smoking years ago, on the basis of "Strange game... the only way to win --- is not to play."