leet: He's not a Turd Cutter, but he plays one on the CPA.
My dad smokes. My mom used to smoke, but she eventually stopped. That admission was pointless, so you can ignore it if you like.
Those people who want to sue for damage caused by cigarettes have reason to do so anytime. They probably didn't do it before because there was no precedent for such cases (or at least for the plaintiffs winning). However, they shouldn't get millions of dollars, because this money would be tainted with the miasma the companies made. Plaintiffs should get enough to help cure or at least help treat whatever illness they have, and then give the rest to the government. No amount of money can make up for death or mortal sickness, so an attempt to do so is somewhat misguided.
HOWEVER (!)
Cigarettes should not, should never be, and should never have been available to kids. Even if they hadn't known that cigarettes could be fatal, cigarette companies should have realized what a bad thing it is to make a product that is totally habit-forming and sell it to children, to develop a dependence early. It may even be good business but it's totally unethical. If someone gets hooked on something as a kid, there is little hope of them quitting easily later on. That's when the brain is developping, so there may be a chemical need for nicotine, stronger than there would be if an adult started smoking. Essentially the cigarette companies knew this and decided that they could get kids (most of them, anyway) hooked for life.
However, they did this when they KNEW the effects of cigarettes. This made them killers. Tobacco should never be sold in such large quantities again.