Tainted tobacco money, the American Cancer Society, and ethics
Inside Higher Ed's article, Calculating the Tobacco Taint highlights an emerging debate: is it ethical for researchers and educational institutions to accept money from the tobacco industry?
The debate surfaces from UVA's recent acceptance of $25 million from Phillip Morris to conduct tobacco research and invest in university programs. The research is seemingly divergent to Phillip Morris' interests, as $20 million of the funds are going toward a reported breakthrough the university has discovered that will revolutionize teen smoking prevention.
Among the first to stand up in protest is America's premiere anti-tobacco NGO, the American Cancer Society, which has condemned UVA for accepting the funds from Phillip Morris. "We think it's inherently wrong that the money, regardless of how much good it's going to do (emphasis added), is coming from a source that is inherently tainted," says Jerome Yates, national vice president for research at the ACS, explaining why the group will not give its own research funds to individual scientists who have accepted grants from the tobacco industry. It's a good thing for them that people don't take that same approach to the ACS itself, considering that only 69% of all donations are actually spent on programs, leaving some $160 million a year in overhead expenses (and it's important to note that only a fraction of the money ACS spends on programs actually goes toward cancer research -- millions every year are spent on special interests and lawsuits). Even though CharityNavigator.org rates ACS at less than 25% efficiency, it's fortunate for the organization that people are still willing to donate their heard-earned money to them, "regardless of how much good it's going to do."
The debate surfaces from UVA's recent acceptance of $25 million from Phillip Morris to conduct tobacco research and invest in university programs. The research is seemingly divergent to Phillip Morris' interests, as $20 million of the funds are going toward a reported breakthrough the university has discovered that will revolutionize teen smoking prevention.
Among the first to stand up in protest is America's premiere anti-tobacco NGO, the American Cancer Society, which has condemned UVA for accepting the funds from Phillip Morris. "We think it's inherently wrong that the money, regardless of how much good it's going to do (emphasis added), is coming from a source that is inherently tainted," says Jerome Yates, national vice president for research at the ACS, explaining why the group will not give its own research funds to individual scientists who have accepted grants from the tobacco industry. It's a good thing for them that people don't take that same approach to the ACS itself, considering that only 69% of all donations are actually spent on programs, leaving some $160 million a year in overhead expenses (and it's important to note that only a fraction of the money ACS spends on programs actually goes toward cancer research -- millions every year are spent on special interests and lawsuits). Even though CharityNavigator.org rates ACS at less than 25% efficiency, it's fortunate for the organization that people are still willing to donate their heard-earned money to them, "regardless of how much good it's going to do."