Electronic cigarette users have found it frustrating that anti-smoking groups have tried to squash a healthier alternative to smoking instead of embracing it like they should. Like many questions these days, following the money may lead to the answer. Dr. Michael Siegel states in a recent article that in 2011 and the first two quarters of 2012, Pfizer alone contributed nearly $2.8 million to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. In short, the maker of Chantix has contributed $2.8 million more than the electronic cigarette industry has.
The anti-smoking groups’ rejection of electronic cigarettes has been difficult to understand. Surely they are not ignorant of science to the point that they cannot separate nicotine from the actual harmful chemicals in cigarettes, right? Maybe a gentle suggestion and a few hundred thousand dollars helps. Of course, it would be difficult to find factual evidence that Pfizer has bought support for their version of smoking cessation that involves a drug linked to suicide and other health problems at the expense of ecigs. These groups certainly do not want this funding to be public knowledge, though, and did not report their conflict of interest when making recommendations agains electronic cigarettes to the FDA. The conclusion is hard to ignore. Organizations like these don’t exist without funding, and corporations like Pfizer don’t spend $2.8 million for nothing.
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