United States: Philip Morris-funded facility subsidizes smoking cessation research

Global Action to End Smoking (GAES), formerly known as the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World – funded largely by tobacco company Philip Morris International – announced it will fund research led by the Urban Institute to study tobacco-related diseases and nicotine addiction among low-income people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In a press release[1], GAES announced that the work conducted by the Urban Institute will provide a better understanding of the challenges that disadvantaged populations face in quitting smoking and will provide solutions designed to reduce smoking rates and improve public health in the United States. GAES says it wants to raise awareness of the “harm reduction” strategies and tools available to smokers.

Smoking cessation through the use of other nicotine products

This grant is part of the GAES's "Smoking Cessation Education" program. On its website, it states that this program not only allows “to provide smokers and health care providers with holistic, evidence-based information about all options for quitting smoking” and of " characterize the state of access to nicotine harm reduction tools worldwide". The organization has already awarded several grants, including to the Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) organization in Pakistan and to Knowledge Action Change (KAC) in the United Kingdom. It can be read that the grant awarded to ARI is to finance a program to “to combat misinformation about safer nicotine delivery systems – vaping products –, nicotine consumption and tobacco harm reduction in Pakistan”. KAC is a private company that has previously received funding from the Foundation, which has awarded “grants” of up to tens of thousands of dollars to support projects related to smokeless nicotine products. In total, the company has received more than $6.4 million from the Foundation over the past six years. In addition to the grant programs, the organization funds the creation of websites promoting new products in developing countries. KAC has also received funding from Nicoventures, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.

GAES also funds The Influence Foundation in the United States to support its magazine Filter, which communicates about tobacco harm reduction. The magazine, also funded by Philip Morris and British American Tobacco, has published numerous articles criticizing tobacco control policies and opposing regulations on new nicotine and tobacco products.

A structure that promotes the economic interests of Philip Morris

Global Action to End Smoking changed its name in May 2024 but remains funded exclusively by Philip Morris International. Although the Foundation announced in October 2023 that its commitment agreement with Philip Morris was terminated, the manufacturer made a final lump sum payment of US$122.5 million, funding the Foundation with US$17.5 million per year through 2030. According to the GAES website, its three areas of focus are health and science research, agricultural diversification, and industry transformation, particularly through “combustion-free” products.

Although it wants to be seen as an entirely separate organization from its funder, its actions and affiliations indicate otherwise. In a statement released on 1^er May 2024[2], GAES takes a stand on the class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the maker of Zyn nicotine pouches, Philip Morris International, which is accused of marketing the product to teens[3]. GAES indicates that “Nicotine pouches are reduced risk products” and that "Although they are not entirely 'risk-free', they are much less harmful than manufactured cigarettes."

Regarding the postponement of the ban on menthol cigarettes by the federal government and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)[4], GAES indicates in a press release[5] that "This delay highlights another step the FDA must take to improve public health: authorizing reduced-risk menthol-flavored nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, that are deemed appropriate to protect public health."

Numerous other synchronized global and domestic public relations and lobbying activities between Philip Morris and its Foundation have been documented by the Tobacco Tactics platform.[6] from the University of Bath (UK). As an illustration, at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC in Geneva[7], Philip Morris and the Foundation, through its grantee KAC, have both published literature advocating for tobacco harm reduction policy interventions using new tobacco and nicotine products, namely heated tobacco and vaping devices.

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[1] Press release, Global Action to End Smoking, Formerly Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Awards Grant to Urban Institute to Address Quitting Barriers and Solutions in Marginalized Communities, PR Newswire, published May 13, 2024

[2] Press release, The Zyn Debate Clouds A More Serious Public Health Problem In The US, Global Action to End Smoking, published on May 1, 2024

[3] Tobacco-free generation, FDA Warns Retailers Against Selling Philip Morris ZYN Nicotine Pouches to Minors, published on April 9, 2024

[4] Tobacco-free generation, Biden administration again delays proposed menthol cigarette ban, published on May 2, 2024

[5] Press release, Addressing The Delay In The Menthol Cigarette Ban, Global Action to End Smoking, published May 1, 2024

[6] Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Tobacco Tactics, last updated December 15, 2023

[7] Philip Morris International, PMI Cop8 Position Statement, PMI website, published October 2, 2018

[1] World Health Organization (WHO), Electronic cigarettes, 05/05/2024, (accessed 13/05/2024)

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