Apparently Philip likes to smoke and Morris likes to look good in the public eye. And so the two of them walk a narrow line trying to balance what’s good for Philip with what Morris needs.
An interesting combination, especially when universities hungry for research dollars become involved.
UCLA scientists are currently involved in a three-year study to see exactly what nicotine addiction does to the human brain. They are using high-tech scanning technology to study the brains of “hard-core teenage smokers.” The rest of the experiment is to feed liquid nicotine to vervet monkeys. Then they’ll kill six or more of the monkeys (but none of the teenagers) and examine their brains.
Question: What is the purpose of the study? Official answer: To gain a better understanding of nicotine addiction.
Second question: Who needs to know more about nicotine addiction—people who smoke or people who manufacture cigarettes?
Answer: Who’s paying for this $6 million research project?
- UCLA
- Centers for Disease Control
- Philip Morris
- Department of Agriculture
You’re right. The experiment is paid in full by Philip Morris. The research team wants to keep the project under cover, but have run out of luck on that score because animal testing and studies of the brains of under-age children are hot topics. Parents and the public in general will not let this go on without a loud protest.
Is it leaning too far over the fence to conclude that Philip Morris needs this data and is happy to pay for it because it will help them formulate and market cigarettes more effectively to the most vulnerable among us—our teenagers? Could it be that Philip Morris is looking for a way to bring more youngsters into its customer base to assure lifelong financial support of the company?
I don’t know. I’m just asking.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Posted by hodicom 