IN a recent editorial published in the American Journal of Public Health, the Truth Initiative® has raised serious concerns about the tobacco industry’s renewed efforts to infiltrate scientific spaces and mislead the public about the health risks associated with its products.
This move mirrors tactics historically used by the industry to downplay the dangers of cigarettes. Notably, these efforts involve sponsoring entire issues of prestigious research journals and participating in tobacco control research conferences. By presenting industry-sponsored research alongside independent studies, the tobacco industry gains insight into tobacco control evidence and strategies, posing a significant threat to public health initiatives. The tobacco industry’s involvement in scientific discourse is not a new phenomenon. For decades, the industry concealed the harmful effects of cigarettes, funded research to undermine scientific findings and influenced political figures to resist stricter regulations. Despite the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, which prohibited tobacco companies from hiding health risks and ended their funding of research groups designed to discredit the link between smoking and cancer, similar tactics are resurfacing. The industry is now taking steps to obscure the truth about new products like e-cigarettes and vapes. The tobacco industry is actively working across the globe to infiltrate scientific forums and shape public discourse, often by bypassing conflict of interest policies in research journals. Similarly, the makers of a popular e-cigarette brand have sponsored an entire special issue of the American Journal of Health Behaviour to promote their industry-funded research.
The inclusion of tobacco industry research in scientific publications and conferences has serious repercussions. It equates industry-sponsored research with independent public health studies, misleading federal regulators and the public. This participation also provides the industry with insights into tobacco control strategies, which they can use to counteract science-based policies.
Furthermore, the industry is utilizing the concept of “harm reduction” as a business strategy, part of an effort detailed in the 2019 Truth Initiative report “Spinning a New Tobacco Industry.” This strategy aims to recast the industry’s public image and protect its profits, despite the ongoing risk of nicotine addiction and the introduction of new tobacco products. A leading tobacco giant, for instance, has used media platforms like CNBC, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post to promote this image, claiming a focus on reducing harm and improving public health while continuing to sell traditional tobacco products. There is a need for measures to prevent further industry interference. Recognizing the tobacco industry’s role in causing confusion and gaining undue credibility is crucial. Researchers, journals and regulatory agencies are urged to adopt stronger measures to safeguard scientific research.
These include requiring standardized reporting of conflicts of interest, keeping research conferences free from industry participation and ensuring regulatory agencies rely on independent study findings. Also, there is a need for CSOs, the public, the scientific community, the media and decision-makers to maintain a skeptical view of any tobacco industry efforts that aim to influence scientific and regulatory efforts, especially those that could reduce their profits.
The writer is a contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
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