Clearing The Air

Johnson & Johnson lobbying money...RWJF (Nicoderm CQ) isn't enough....

....the anti-smoking lobbyists, funded by the largest pharmaceutical nicotine interest RWJF, now need MN. taxpayer money, in the form of MPAAT, to coerce Hennepin County Commissioners to see things their way.

Let's review:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Nicotrol, Nicoderm, Nicoderm CQ) funding to non-profit organizations (partial list) to coerce smoking ban legislation:

Numerous special interest groups and universities $1,900,000.00
2001 American Non-Smokers Rights Foundation $3,000,000.00
2001 American Cancer Society $99,000,000.00
2002 American Medical Association $10,896,463.00
2002 American Lung Association $99,000,000.00
$2,416,662.00 from RWJF (Nicoderm) funding to lobby lawmakers

of which we know the American Cancer Society in 2004 spent $600,000.00 here in MN. lobbying local officials including Hennepin County to spread their "facts". (the other non-profits of course spent more)

Here's one fact they didn't include in their lobbying...St. Louis Park Environmental Health Department tests proved secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants is 150 times lower (safer than) OSHA regulations for secondhand smoke.

Update: Here is a RWJF grant the National Tobacco Control Technical Assistance Consortium in the amount of $9,000,000.00 which appears to be an emergency clearinghouse for local anti-smoking activists who need pharmaceutical nicotine money to affect smoking ban action. Perhaps our local chapters of the American Lung & American Cancer etc. can tell us if they've dipped into this well to influence local politicians. And yet another grant to Activities of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center for $9,871,538.00 no description given for the purpose of this grant except anti-smoking activist leadership.

I am curious if funding by a 501.3C foundation to lobby lawmakers violates the IRS code?

Why would anybody believe that pharmaceutical nicotine (Nicoderm) special interest money isn't going to manipulate the findings presented to our lawmakers by the anti-smoking activists?

posted by marcus aurelius @ 8:32 AM