Submitted by Anne Landman on
Michael Siegel, a public health physician at Boston University School of Public Health, has written a strong critique of several major health groups that normally claim to oppose Big Tobacco -- The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. Siegel finds it strange that they have opposed amendments to proposed legislation giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory power over cigarettes. The amendments that the health groups oppose would allow the FDA to remove the nicotine from cigarettes, prohibit the use of menthol and clove as primary flavorings in cigarettes, and increase the size and strength of cigarette warning labels. Opposition by these health groups would greatly benefit Philip Morris, who recently introduced a clove-flavored version of Marlboro in Indonesia. The American Association of Public Health Physicians has taken a strong position against the overall FDA tobacco bill, saying that the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids secretly negotiated with Philip Morris behind the scenes to devise FDA regulations that would improve PM's image without actually diminishing sales.
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Pani113 replied on Permalink
Like Kicking A Puppy
I think this group has some interesting things to say about The American Cancer Society:
http://www.preventcancer.com/
Apparently, the doctor who founded it is such a threat to the ACS that universities get threated with funding cuts if they invite him to speak. (I believe that was reported in Project Censored, but not positive.) So many of these groups like ACS have sold out to special interests. But they have so ingratiated themselves into the public's heart it is almost impossible to speak out against them. Anyone ever refuse to support something pink ribbon was behind? You can't convice the average Josephina you are not some heartless creep, you might as well say you enjoy kicking puppies. People just like to be manipulatied I guess!
TennMom replied on Permalink
Thanks for the link
Indeed, the campaign against tobacco by the groups mentioned in the article has reached a fever pitch. If we adhere to the propoganda which these established special interest groups pitch, we must believe that there is no substance known to man that is more harmful than tobacco. Many US products are banned in Europe and other countries because of cancer causing agents. Yet, the same products other countries deem harmful are part of American diets on a daily basis.
What is also ignored is the fact that for every study the ACS, ALA, AHA, etc., release to demonize tobacco, particularly the harm of second hand smoke, there is a study to debunk their claims. This is the reason that none of my charitable contributions go to these entities. I support organizations which seek to find cures for ALS, MS, MD, Parkinson's and the like. I contribute to organizations which attempt to curtail societal ills like domestic abuse, child abuse and animal abuse and cruelty. The charities I support vary in cause but, they have an important common bond in their concern with finding answers without lobbying the government to increase taxes as a way to force their beliefs upon a free society.
Brainwashing is mean replied on Permalink
TennMom says "for every
TennMom says "for every study the ACS, ALA, AHA, etc., release to demonize tobacco, particularly the harm of second hand smoke, there is a study to debunk their claims" but she doesn't mention that most if not all of those studies were paid for by tobacco companies and do not hold up to peer review. I find it unsettling that otherwise intelligent people can become so deluded as to believe smoking and passive smoking are not the extremely harmful and dangerous activities that medical science has proved them to be. I believe such people have been BRAINWASHED with tobacco industry propaganda by some very unscrupulous people.
The fact of the matter is that tobacco kills twice as many people as AIDS, illegal drugs, alcohol, car accidents, homicide and suicide combined. Each year tobacco kills more Americans than died in the whole of World War II. So when people like TennMom come along and spout this sort of crap, I can only conclude that they are terribly misinformed and likely they are in a very deep state of denial about the harm they are doing to themselves with their smoking. This is what allows them to believe such nonsense, they can't face the reality of what they are doing to themselves.