Although some researchers question the ethics behind accepting money from tobacco companies and the American Medical Association "strongly discourages" it, two Dartmouth researchers say it is just a matter of "personal choice."
"Whether one feels comfortable or uncomfortable about accepting money from a foundation associated with tobacco smoke, and all the bad things and bad press associated with that, seems to me a very personal decision," Constance Brinckerhoff, associate dean for science and professor of medicine and biochemistry at the Dartmouth Medical School told the Associated Press Monday.
Brinckerhoff and Aaron Barchowsky, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology, are both conducting studies funded by the council on Tobacco Research.
The council is a private organization supported by the major American tobacco companies.
Out of the DMS' $40 million research budget, $185,000 comes from the council.
In recent months, the tobacco industry has come under fire from the government and the Food and Drug Administration over the possible falsification and concealment of nicotine research.
The effect of the highly publicized Congressional investigations has led to examinations of research money provided by the tobacco companies. Some medical schools and hospitals have banned the acceptance of money according to the Associated Press.
The AMA's policy on research funded by the tobacco industry states that "the AMA strongly discourages all medical schools and their parent universities from accepting research funding from the tobacco industry."
The AMA defines the "tobacco industry" to include research and lobbying groups, including the Council for Tobacco Research, the Smokeless Tobacco Research Council and the Tobacco Institute.
Brinckerhoff said accepting money from the council does not represent support for smoking.
"Just because you take money from them doesn't mean you support smoking," she said.
The council does not direct the research and often supports biomedical research that has no connection to smoking, Brinckerhoff said.
Brinckerhoff's research focuses on the arthritis and the destruction of joints.
Barchowsky, the other Dartmouth researcher receiving funding from the council said, "They put no constraints on what you have to study. My research has no connection with tobacco."
Barchowsky is researching environmental toxins and their effects on blood vessels.
"I'm not sure who has an ethical problem with taking the money," he said.
He said the council's scientific advisory panel reviews all the proposals carefully and funds projects solely on the merits of the project, not on its content.
Barchowsky said researchers often must seek private funding for research because government funding is decreasing.
"The funds that are provided by the National Institute of Health-- the major source of funding -- have been more and more limited," he said.
Dr. James Glenn, the president of the council defended its efforts in an Associated Press story Monday.
Glenn said 40 years ago the major tobacco companies formed the Tobacco Industry Research Committee to conduct studies on tobacco.
"In the beginning, research was directly related to the questions of smoking and health," he said. But, recently the Research Committee split into the Council for Tobacco Research and, a public affairs and lobbying arm, the Tobacco Institute.
The Tobacco Institute has played a major role in lobbying Congress during the current investigations into cigarettes and their nicotine content.
Glenn said the council is now a scientific body that has given out more than $250 million in research funds, supported the work of three nobel prize winners, and is ranked in the top 10 of private biomedical funding sources.
According to Glenn, the council has provided funds to every American medical school and research institute in the United States as well as many in Canada, South America and Europe.
He said the council's policy is to support "good basic biomedical research and let the chips fall where they may," even if some results prove harmful effects of tobacco.
"They're really a very legitimate organization," Barchowsky said. The research funding comes "no strings attached."
