[Intl-tobacco] Action Request: Philip Morris second hand smoke research smokescreen

[Robert Weissman]

Dear Friends:

Philip Morris has launched a new external research program and that over
100 researchers, many from respectable U.S. universities, have been
recruited to serve as peer reviewers.

In fact, the external research program is anything but new. It is a
reincarnation of the PM-funded Center for Indoor Air Research (CIAR). The
address is the same, the director is the same, the agenda is the same, and
PM's control over the research is the same.  Over half of the people on
the peer reviewer list have received funding from CIAR in the past decade.

Last week we called up several of the people listed as peer reviewers to
gain more information about this "new" program and to gage their
willingness to cut their ties to the company. Two did not seem likely to
cut their ties to PM for reasons of past and future financial support.
The other two, however, seemed receptive to our concerns regarding their
association with PM, though somewhat naive and in denial about the PM's
political agenda for scientific research.  We believe that they (and
others on the list) might be persuaded to officially break their
longstanding relationship with PM.

Essential Action is organizing a letter-writing campaign to urge PM peer
reviewers to: 1) refuse all money that PM offers, and to return any
money the company has already given. 2) notify PM that they refuse to
participate further in the company's External Research Program as a peer
reviewer or in any other capacity.

We encourage all tobacco control advocates to write letters to the peer
reviewers and to get colleagues to do so as well.  Our sense is that some
of the peer reviewers need help in mustering the courage to end their
longstanding relationship with PM, and correspondence from around the
world might do the trick.  This is a crucial time.  The deadline for
applications to PM's external research program was Nov. 1, 2000, and the
company said it would start sending out proposals a month later.

To aid you in letter writing, please check out the following links:

1. Contact information for peer reviewers, listed in alphabetical order
by
    Country, State - http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/pmlist1.html

    Last Name - http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/pmlist2.html

2. Background information on PM's research program & on why such an
association is harmful
    http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/action/pmpr/info.html

3. Plan of action for Essential Action's letter writing campaign
    http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/action/pmpr/actionplan.html

4. A sample letter
    http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/action/pmpr/letter.html

5. A summary of our phone conversations with peer reviewers
    http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/action/pmpr/phone.html

6. Links to relevant industry documents
    http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/action/pmpr/docs.html

7. Excerpt from PM's External Research Program's Request for
Applications - 2000
    http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/action/pmpr/excerpt.html

We hope many of you will write letters.  If you do, please let us know,
as we are monitoring to whom letters are sent and how peer reviewers
respond.

Anna White
Coordinator, Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
Essential Action
P.O. Box 19405
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 1-202-387-8030
Fax: 1-202-234-5176
Email: awhite@essential.org