Smoke-Free World Foundation

The Philip Morris-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World: tax return sheds light on funding activities

• Tess Legg
• Silvy Peeters
• Phil Chamberlain
• Anna B Gilmore

Published:June 06, 2019DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)3

In September, 2017, Philip Morris International, one of the world's largest tobacco companies, set up the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, with almost US$1 billion of funding over 12 years.

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 The Foundation claims to be an independent scientific body aiming to “accelerate an end to smoking”.

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 Yet controversy has surrounded the Foundation since its inception; its claims of legitimacy and independence have been strongly disputed

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,  

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 and WHO

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 and hundreds of public health organisations globally

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 have taken a strong stance in rejecting collaboration with the Foundation.