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The Story

Investigation: How the tobacco industry has secretly bankrolled vaping

The Story

The Times

Current Affairs, Daily News Podcast, News Analysis, Politics, News, Audio Storytelling, Uk News, Exclusive Interviews, Investigative Reporting, In-depth Journalism, Daily News, Long-form Audio, Global News

3.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A Times investigation has found that tobacco companies have been engaged in a secret lobbying campaign to try and boost their e cigarette sales. They've bankrolled scientific papers playing down the risks of youth vaping and funded so-called independent foundations, which then try and lobby the government. How has this gone unchecked?

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Guest: Billy Kenber, Senior Investigations Reporter, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

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Transcript

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You don't see adverts like these anymore.

0:57.0

You know, if you were to follow a busy doctor as he makes his daily round of calls,

1:02.0

you would find yourself having a mighty busy time keeping up with him. Time

1:06.7

out for many men of medicine usually means just long enough to enjoy a cigarette.

1:11.2

A doctor sitting there in his white lab coat, the pretty nurse comes

1:16.8

over and hands him a stack of papers as he merrily puffs away on a cigarette.

1:22.3

In a repeated national survey,

1:24.0

doctors in all branches of medicine.

1:27.0

Doctors in all parts of the country were asked,

1:30.0

what cigarette do you smoke, doctor?

1:32.0

Once again, the brand named most was... What cigarette do you smoke, Doctor?

1:32.7

Once again, the brand named most was Camel. These vanished from UK screens in 1965, and a global treaty in 2005 means tobacco companies aren't allowed to promote cigarettes or lobby governments.

...

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