View source for Foundation for a Smoke-Free World

{{Short description|Non-profit organization funded by Philip Morris International}} 
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{infobox organization/Wikidata | fetchwikidata=ALL}}

The '''Foundation for a Smoke-Free World''' is an organization founded in 2017. It is funded by [[Philip Morris International]], which had initial plans for $80 million in annual funding, with the aim of smoking harm reduction.<ref name=WHO/> The current pledge agreement from PMI to the Foundation, modified in September 2020, promises only $35 million in funding to the Foundation from 2022 through 2029.<ref name=PMIfunding>"[https://www.smokefreeworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Amended-and-Restated-Pledge-Agreement-28Sept2020.pdf Amended and Restated Pledge Agreement]". Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, September 28, 2020. Accessed June 8, 2022.</ref>

== Activities ==
{{See also|Electronic cigarette and e-cigarette liquid marketing}}

In its first year, the Foundation spent less on [[scientific research]] than on [[public relations]], but had not yet spent most of its yearly budget.<ref name=Legg>Tess Legg, Michel Legendre and Anna Gilmore, [https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2021/05/04/tobaccocontrol-2020-056003 "Paying lip service to publication ethics: scientific publishing practices and the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World"], ''[[Tobacco Control (journal)|Tobacco Control]]'', 28 April 2021 ({{PMID|33911028}}).</ref> Its president was [[Derek Yach]], a former [[World Health Organization]] (and later [[PepsiCo]]) executive.<ref name=Boseley>{{Cite news |author=Sarah Boseley |title=Tobacco company launches foundation to stub out smoking |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/13/tobacco-company-launches-foundation-to-stub-out-smoking-philip-morris |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2017-09-13 |access-date=2021-08-16}}</ref><ref name=Horel>{{Cite news |language=French |author=Stéphane Horel |title=La guerre secrète de Philip Morris contre l'OMS et les experts de la lutte antitabac |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2021/04/14/un-avenir-sans-fumee-la-guerre-secrete-de-philip-morris-contre-l-oms_6076704_3244.html |work=[[Le Monde]] |date=2021-04-14 |access-date=2021-08-16}}</ref>

An investigation conducted by ''[[Le Monde]]'' (France), ''The Investigative Desk'' (Netherlands), ''[[Follow the money]]'' (Netherlands) and ''[[Knack (magazine)|Knack]]'', published in April 2021, suggests that the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, which is not transparent about the grants it gives to other entities, is a lobbying tool used by Philip Morris International to circumvent the [[WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control]], whose article 5.3 aims to protect public decisions from tobacco industry lobbying.<ref name=Horel/> According to the authors of the investigation, who relied on internal documents of Philip Morris International dated seven years prior in 2014, PMI's strategy consisted of dividing the [[tobacco control]] movement (schematically divided between "prohibitionists" and "pragmatists") and bending the WHO in order to promote alternative products (e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, etc.) to cigarettes.<ref name=Horel/>

Advocacy groups directly or indirectly funded by the Foundation have stated that vaping with [[electronic cigarette]]s is a safer choice than smoking [[cigarette]]s, regarding the health effects of [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]].<ref name=Kary2020>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-17/philip-morris-money-is-funding-pro-vaping-coronavirus-spin |title=Philip Morris Money is Funding Pro-Vaping Virus Spin |last1=Kary |first1=Tiffany |publisher=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=21 April 2020}}</ref> This is indeed correct and vaping is safer than smoking, but safest of all is to neither vape nor smoke.<ref>Michael Joseph Blaha, M.D., M.P.H. "[https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping 5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know]." [[Johns Hopkins Medical School]]. Accessed June 7, 2022.</ref>

At least one group of researchers who received funding from the Foundation allegedly failed to declare the funding and journals have been accused of neglecting to apply [[conflict of interest]] policies.<ref name=Legg/><ref name=Burki>Talha Khan Burki, [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(21)00281-3/fulltext "Conflicts of interest in tobacco industry-funded research"], ''[[The Lancet]] Oncology'', volume 22, issue 6, page 758, 2021 {{PMID|33965060}}.</ref> The Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) at the [[University of Catania]] is funded by the Foundation (through an intermediate company named ECLAT SRL) and some of its researchers (such as [[Riccardo Polosa]]) published tobacco-related papers without declaring funds received from the Foundation nor conflicts of interest.<ref name=Legg/><ref name=Burki/><ref>[https://tobaccotactics.org/wiki/coehar/ "Centre of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR)"], on the platform ''Tobacco Tactics'', [[University of Bath]], 13 July 2021 (page visited on 10 September 2021).</ref>

On October 4, 2022, it was reported that the Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI), a subsidiary of FSFW, supported Malawi-based scholars through the ATI Fellowship and Scholarship Fund. Fifteen postgraduate students shared information about their studies while speaking with experts and students at the North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences International Programs. The goal of the event was to use what the students learned to help diversify Malawi’s tobacco-reliant agricultural ecosystem.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chipalasa |first=Mike |title=Malawi scholars in U.S. for agricultural diversification information exchange |url=https://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-scholars-in-u-s-for-agricultural-diversification-information-exchange/ |date=October 4, 2022}}</ref>

== Criticism ==

The creation of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World was met with skepticism by the medical community. The [[World Health Organization]] and the [[Union for International Cancer Control]] announced that they would not work with the Foundation, and encouraged governments and the public health community to follow their lead.<ref name=WHO>{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/28-09-2017-who-statement-on-philip-morris-funded-foundation-for-a-smoke-free-world |title=WHO Statement on Philip Morris funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World |author= |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] |date=2017-09-28 |access-date=2021-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.uicc.org/news/uicc-issues-warning-about-foundation-smoke-free-world |title=UICC issues warning about the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World |author= |publisher=[[Union for International Cancer Control]] |date=2020-10-20 |access-date=2021-08-16}}</ref>

The independence of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World has been challenged.<ref name=Boseley/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=van der Eijk |first1=Yvette |last2=Bero |first2=Lisa A. |last3=Malone |first3=Ruth E. |title=Philip Morris International-funded 'Foundation for a Smoke-Free World': analysing its claims of independence |journal=Tobacco Control |date=21 September 2018 |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=712–718 |doi=10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054278 |pmid=30242044 |s2cid=52313085 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30242044 |issn=1468-3318}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Daube |first1=Mike |last2=Moodie |first2=Rob |last3=McKee |first3=Martin |title=Towards a smoke-free world? Philip Morris International's new Foundation is not credible |journal=Lancet |date=14 October 2017 |volume=390 |issue=10104 |pages=1722–1724 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32561-8 |pmid=29047432 |s2cid=27725280 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29047432 |issn=1474-547X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Foundation for a Smoke-Free World - TobaccoTactics |url=http://www.tobaccotactics.org/index.php?title=Foundation_for_a_Smoke-Free_World |website=www.tobaccotactics.org |language=en}}</ref> The Foundation taking funding from Philip Morris International has been criticized by the [[Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids]],<ref>[https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/industry-watch/pmi-foundation "Philip Morris-Funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World"], [[Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids]], 16 August 2021 (page visited on 10 September 2021).</ref> [[Action on Smoking and Health]] (ASH), [[Corporate Accountability International]] and others.<ref name=Boseley/>

Some public health organizations have rejected collaboration with the Foundation.<ref name=Legg2019>{{cite journal |last1=Tess  |first1=Legg|last2=Peeters |first2=Silvy |last3=Chamberlain |first3=Phil |last4=Gilmore |first4=Anna |title=The Philip Morris-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World: tax return sheds light on funding activities |journal=[[The Lancet]] |date=6 June 2019 |volume=393 |issue=10190 |pages=2487–2488 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31347-9 |pmid=31178156 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ggtc.world/2019/01/28/an-open-letter-to-urge-who-executive-board-to-reject-fsfw/|title=Open Letter to Urge WHO Executive Board to Reject Foundation for a Smoke Free World (FSFW) (2019)|date=28 January 2019}}</ref> The [[American Cancer Society]] stated, "This attempt by Philip Morris International to paint itself as a public health partner is manipulative and dangerous. It is a new twist out of the tobacco industry's deadly playbook, but nobody should be fooled. It's a continuation of a decades-long effort to paint over tobacco's role in spreading death and misery around the globe."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pressroom.cancer.org/releases?item=720|title=American Cancer Society Statement on Philip Morris International Support of New Effort|publisher=[[American Cancer Society]]|year=2017}}</ref>

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist}}

== See also ==
* [[Conflicts of interest in academic publishing]]
* [[Disinformation]]
* [[Electronic cigarette and e-cigarette liquid marketing]]
* [[Front organization]]
** [[Advancement of Sound Science Center]]
** [[Center for Indoor Air Research]]
** [[Tobacco Institute]]
* [[Funding bias]]
* [[Manufactured controversy]]
* ''[[Merchants of Doubt]]''
* [[Nicotine marketing]]
** [[History of nicotine marketing]]
* [[Tobacco lobby]]

== External links ==
* [https://smokefreeworld.org Official website]
* [https://www.who.int/news/item/28-09-2017-who-statement-on-philip-morris-funded-foundation-for-a-smoke-free-world WHO Statement on the foundation]
* [https://tobaccotactics.org/wiki/foundation-for-a-smoke-free-world/ Description on the platform ''Tobacco Tactics'']

[[Category:Tobacco industry associations]]
[[Category:Foundations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2017]]
[[Category:2017 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Tobacco in the United States]]
[[Category:Front organizations]]