WHAT SCIENTISTS FUNDED BY THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY BELIEVE ABOUT THE HAZARDS OF CIGARETTE-SMOKING

Despite overwhelming evidence documenting the hazards of cigarette smoking, the tobacco industry denies that smoking has been proven to cause disease. The industry professes a desire to clear up the smoking and health "question" and often points to its support of the Council for Tobacco Research (CTR) as evidence of its interest in investigating the health dangers of smoking. This paper presents results of a survey of CTR-funded scientists regarding their beliefs about the health dangers posed by smoking cigarettes. The vast majority of scientists funded by the CTR believe that cigarette smoking is an addiction that causes a wide range of serious, often fatal, diseases. This result suggests that the tobacco industry is unwilling to accept even the opinions of scientists it has deemed worthy of funding. Scientists should consider the ethical implications of accepting funds from the CTR and other tobacco industry-supported institutions.