Anti-Smoking Foundation Faces Criticism

 

A new organization called the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World is being criticized by health and anti-smoking groups.

They accuse the foundation of acting¹ secretly to assist tobacco companies, a charge the foundation’s president denied.

Derek Yach is the founder² and head of the non-profit foundation. He was one of the planners of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005.

Yach said the Convention has been largely successful in preventing people from smoking and “in slowing the increase in kids through higher taxes, marketing³ and so on.”

But, he told VOA, the Convention does not focus on trying to get the billion current smokers⁴ in the world to quit the habit.

Yach said more than seven million people globally die earlier than necessary each year from tobacco. He said his foundation’s mission was to get these smokers away from their addiction⁵ by using new harm reduction tools such as e-cigarettes and vaping.

“If these products have an impact,” he said, “we need to have independent research to show that they should be given more support.

“So, our work will not be to simply push them out, but to do high quality research to look at the negative and positive sides.”

The foundation accepted a $1 billion grant from the large tobacco company Philip Morris. The money is to be paid in $80 million yearly payments over the next 12 years.

Philip Morris is also a producer of e-cigarettes and is pushing hard into the vaping market.

Vince Willmore is a Vice-President of Communications at the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. With so much money involved, he questioned whether the alliance between the foundation and Philip Morris has credibility.

Willmore accused the foundation of trying to “undermine real efforts to reduce the death and disease caused by tobacco use around the world.” He added the foundation was really trying to help Philip Morris sell more products.

“It is hard to take Philip Morris seriously that they want a smoke-free world when they are marketing cigarettes as aggressively as ever and they are fighting real solutions to reduce smoking.”

If Philip Morris wanted to reduce smoking, he said, it would push for higher taxes, smoke-free policies, and strong warnings on cigarette packages. These are actions that really work, he added.

Yach told VOA he had not taken the side of big tobacco.

He said that some people “could never understand that profitability and public health can actually work together.”

He said his relationship with Philip Morris was not based on trust.

“No. What they want to do is have a product that is less risky⁶ and that makes them profits. That is the beginning and end of it,” he said.

Yach knows that many of his former colleagues at the World Health Organization (WHO) disagree with his decision to work with Philip Morris. He said he also wants to rid the world of tobacco products, but “with one billion lives hanging in the balance, we urgently must do more to cut the adult smoking rate,” he said.

WHO would not comment for this article. However, the global health organization issued the following statement:

“The tobacco industry and its front groups have misled the public about risks associated with other tobacco products. This includes promoting so-called light and mild tobacco products as an alternative to quitting, while being fully⁷ aware that those products were not less harmful to health.”

WHO noted⁸ the many “conflicts of interest” involved in the foundation and the tobacco company.

It stated that “WHO will not partner with the foundation. Governments should not partner with the foundation and the public health community should follow this lead.”

Derek Yach said that he set up measures, including a legal firewall, to protect the foundation from the influence of the tobacco company.

He added his foundation would lose its non-profit status if they let Philip Morris influence them.

Despite his many protestations, Yach admitted that he has some difficulty in dealing⁹ with his tobacco business partner.

“When I go into meetings with Philip Morris, I feel I have to hold my nose and that is something I suspect will continue for a long time,” he said.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

addiction – n. a strong and harmful need to have something

vape – v. inhale¹⁰ and exhale¹¹ the vapor¹² produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.

colleague – n. a person who works with you

front group – n. an organization that purports¹³ to represent one agenda while in reality it serves some other party or interest

firewall – n. a very thick wall that keeps fire from spreading

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

5 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 inhale   

v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟)

参考例句：

• Don't inhale dust into your lung.别把灰尘吸进肺里。
• They are pleased to not inhale second hand smoke.他们很高兴他们再也不会吸到二手烟了。

11 exhale   

v.呼气，散出，吐出，蒸发

参考例句：

• Sweet odours exhale from flowers.花儿散发出花香。
• Wade exhaled a cloud of smoke and coughed.韦德吐出一口烟，然后咳嗽起来。

12 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

13 purports   

v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She purports to represent the whole group. 她自称代表整个团体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The document purports to be official but is really private. 那份文件据称是官方的，但实际上是私人的。 来自辞典例句