August 14, 2013

Stanton A. Glantz, PhD

The entire 10 campus University of California is free of tobacco industry research money

After several academic units at campuses across the University of California system started implementing policies to decline research money from the tobacco industry, then-UC President Bob Dynes objected, claiming an infringement of academic freedom and engaged the Systemwide Academic Senate to oppose these policies. 

In 2007, after a battle that lasted several years, including support of a policy of declining tobacco industry money championed by then-Chairman of the Board of Regents Richard Blum, the Regents adopted a compromise policy, RE-89, that prohibited academic units from adopting blanket policies against taking tobacco industry money but recognized that there was a need for careful review of any grant applications to the tobacco companies (or their affiliated organizations) including personal approval by the campus' chancellor before any applications could be submitted.  RE-89 also mandated annual reports to the Regents listing all tobacco industry grants and applications.

The October 2012 report, delivered to the Regents listed only two remaining active tobacco industry grants in the entire 10 campus system, one from Philip Morris to UCLA that was scheduled to end on December 30, 2012 and one from Philip Morris to UC Irvine that was to end on July 1, 2013.  Both grants dated from before RE-89 was adopted in 2007 and neither has been renewed.

No applications were reported as having been submitted from any campus.

So, the UC system is now free of tobacco money.

Hopefully, RE-89 will keep it that way.

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