Tuesday 27 July 2010

Talking with Cancer Research UK

News that the Coalition Government is considering retreating from the display ban and the ban on vending machines has been met with dismay by many who lobbied for it in the first place. Within days there were two stories from Cancer Research UK alone, one claiming huge public support for the legislation, and the other insisting that young people believe that they are encouraged by the tobacco displays in shops to take up smoking.

Cancer Research is a major funder of tobacco control studies. This link is the result of a search for ASH on their funding activities. One ASH Scotland study concerns the development of an 'ambitious strategy for tobacco control':* this from the funds of a medical charity, that will take Scotland 'beyond smoke-free' (?)

But CRUK has run into troubles of its own over impending cuts. CRUK gets most of its income donated, however currently gets a top-up from government for studies that it funds. It fears cuts might result in this fund being removed or shrunk, making industry-funded research more attractive to universities than charity-funded research.

I don't think charity-funded research is necessarily bad. But I do start to wonder what Cancer Research is contributing to medical charitable work in the UK when it funds studies on smoking cessation in China. I started to take it up with them here.

*From 'ambitious' to 'robust':

Scottish Coalition on Tobacco calls on all political parties to introduce new robust tobacco control strategy for Scotland

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Where is this 'huge public support?" I didn't see it outside the pub I was sitting at in the nice warm weather this afternoon! In fact I 'bought' some tobacco products out of the back of a van with many others.

In essence they were saying "hey, ban what you want, I'll still get my bacca! Stuff you"

Belinda said...

I 'met' a supporter once, his name was Rollo ...

Pat Nurse MA said...

The huge public support is to imply that the 75% who are not smokers want to marginalise the 25% who still smoke. It's simply a propaganda lie which is part of the denormalisation process.

Belinda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
no deid yet said...

I could go on all night.
1) 75% of smokers want to quit. Where do they get their figures? Every doctor I speak to asks me at the first meeting if I want to quit. I always say no. But when I went to hospital with a suspected heart attack (turned out to be a muscle strain. I've got a heart as strong as a bear) there were two smokers in the same ward and when the consultant asked the same thing both said they were desperate to quit.
YEA. RIGHT! These poor people were in the most vulnerable place most of us will ever find ourselves, then along comes the witchfinder general. They’re gonna say what he wants to hear! It ain’t rocket surgery.
2)ASH? Funny how they still go on about pharmaceutical aids while they are forced to admit that they er...don't work. Could that have anything to do with the fact that ASH is funded by the pharmaceutical industry?
3)As for the criticism that tobacco manufacturers are only interested in creating more customers. And increasing their profits…DUUUUUUH! They are capitalists. That's how capitalism works. Do the makers of NRT really want everybody to be free from nicotine 'addiction'? Or would that damage their market? Hmmm.
(By the way, talking about products harmful to their consumers, does anybody know the names of the companies that manufactured products like Thalidomide and Zyklon B?
W.D.& H.O.Wills maybe, or Player’s?)
I would like to point out that I am neutral in the fight between the tobacco companies and pharmaceuticals. I loathe them all equally as amoral capitalist organisations.
P.S. Who invented the term ‘nicotine addiction’? I smoked for 10 years and quit no problem when I had a good reason. Then I started again when I had a good reason to take it up. I know I can go without tobacco when I can’t get it. All you smokers who say ‘we’re all addicts…SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!

no deid yet said...

Belinda. Rollo Tomassi was a name of a character in a very good movie. The name was actually made up by a policeman-one of the good guys, as it turns out, for the person who had killed the cop's father and had never been caught. The cop found that having a name helped him to focus on doing his job,
Now that's a handle I would never self apply, but then I ain't an anti smoker.
Yours
Roll o' Tobaccy.