The peak body for GPs across the country has labelled new research into smoking harm “nothing more than a fig leaf”.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has revealed that research by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) was solely funded by the world’s largest cigarette company Philip Morris International (PMI).
The FSFW’s financial statements show it received contributions of $US80 million in 2019, $US45 million in 2020 and $US40 million in 2021, all from PMI Global Services.
These contributions are the vast majority of FSFW’s income of $US166.2 million from 2019-21, with $US1,241,691 in investment income rounding out the total.
RACGP President Nicole Higgins said she was not surprised to see the nicotine giant funding research.
“The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World is nothing more than a fig leaf for Philip Morris’ real business – nicotine addiction,” she said.
“A smoke-free world is a fine ambition, but this is just cynical.
“The research funded by Philip Morris through the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World shows smoking has many harmful effects – but we have known this for decades.”
Dr Higgins said researchers should be careful about accepting funding from the foundation, to ensure their work does not become a smoke-screen for Philip Morris’ pivot to vaping products.
“If the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World isn’t asking if vaping is safe – not safer than smoking, but safe as a practice – it’s not meeting its values of integrity or transparency,” she said.
“Helping people live without nicotine should be the priority for any research by any organisation or funder.
The RACGP supports nicotine vaping under the supervision and prescription of a GP who can help a patient beat their dependence, saving them money, reducing harm, and supporting them to take back control from nicotine.
“But Big Nicotine doesn’t want users to have that power.”
Dr Higgins said the industry is already lobbying for unrestricted sale of vaping products in Australia, and research by this foundation is almost certainly a key part of that lobbying.
“Opening the door to Big Nicotine will accelerate what we’re already seeing – a new generation of young users, many who have not been cigarette users before they started vaping, then struggling to stop. But that’s the marketing strategy, isn’t it?”
“Phillip Morris and other cigarette companies fought Australia’s efforts to kick smoking at every stage, using every piece of research that was convenient to them.
“This is just a continuation of Big Nicotine’s fight against public health.”
