Tobacco Control: How Good Science Results in Bad Public Policy

Sixty four years have passed since Richard Doll published his classic study proving cigarettes cause lung cancer. Forty eight years have passed since the first American Surgeon General report on the dangers of smoking. Despite this, millions die of tobacco-attributable illness each year. Part of the problem is they way so-called “good science” has resulted in bad public policy. A related and overlapping issue is the manner in which technically sound tobacco control research has been systematically ignored if it conflicts with long-standing tobacco control dogma. This talk will highlight major gaps between current goals of tobacco control and what needs to be addressed if we are to rapidly and substantially reduce tobacco-attributable mortality. Major American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco policy guidelines conflict with current scientific findings. Other examples are presented to demonstrate bias and issues that cannot be addressed by randomized clinical trials – the current “gold standard” for tobacco control research. There will be emphasis on cold-turkey quitting, tobacco harm reduction and recommended next steps if we are to effectively use what we know to control the current pandemic of tobacco-attributable illness and death. The manner in which lessons learned in the USA apply globally will be discussed.