For science to progress, various fundamentals need to be adopted while others need to be rejected. Being open minded, open debates, respecting the opinion of others and healthy exchange of views is what will ensure science progresses. On the other hand, intimidation, censorship, secrecy and exclusion are things that pose a big threat to science.
Surprisingly, several scientists have received letters from two anti-smoking organizations namely: Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) and European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP). These letters were aimed at informing the recipients that players in the tobacco industry would participate in the 2016 Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum Conference (GNTF). Various organizations have been listed in the letters, and amazingly, accounting firm; Price Water House Coopers is among the organizations appearing on the list. The appearance of this accounting firm in these letters can be attributed to the fact that they have clients from the tobacco industry.
The authors of these letters have called upon to cancel their participation in the conference. This campaign calling for scientists to boycott this conference can be perceived as a demand because of the expressions used in the letters. The expressions in the letters are bent at manipulating the scientists not to attend the conference as they will be interacting with an industry that has misled the public and that this interaction will only hurt their reputation.
This blackmail perpetrated by these organizations will only do more harm than good. If the organizations are serious about bringing change, they should allow the scientists to participate in such events. It goes without saying that the tobacco industry has caused a lot of damage courtesy of their lying and selling deadly products. Therefore, caution should be applied when dealing with their data, motivation and strategies. This is in a bid to avoid falling for the tactics that have been used by the tobacco industry in the past.
Unfortunately, most people think that doing away with the tobacco industry is the only solution to deal with this predicament. Well, this might prove difficult considering the increasing share price being registered by tobacco companies. The solution to this tobacco issue is to encourage scientific debate. Through these debates, scientists will be able to encourage and press the tobacco companies to consider developing and marketing less harmful products. Such a platform allows scientists to criticize and mount pressure on the tobacco companies to adopt change and find solutions that will ensure a reduction in smoking-related diseases and death. That said, it is time science was involved in making decisions regarding the well-being of the public. After all, science has the ability to convince and ignite change!
Read the full article here: http://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/whats-new/whatsnew-2016/244-ph