FORCES and the tobacco industry

This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

FORCES and the Tobacco Industry

This one-page fax was sent from from Gian Turci, founder of FORCES Canada (a smokers rights group) to John MacDonald, Director of Public Affairs Rothmans Tobacco Ltd., and is also marked "received" by Mark Berlind, Assistant General Counsel of Philip Morris Worldwide Regulatory Affairs department, in 1997. While FORCES' web site claims that it is unaffiliated with the tobacco industry and does not always agree with the industry, the fax indicates that perhaps, as Turci indicates, there may be some "mutually beneficial cooperation" between the two entities. Turci also notes in the fax that there is a need to keep communications between FORCES and the tobacco company confidential. Turci writes to MacDonald,

I am sure that this will mark the beginning of a good a mutually beneficial cooperation between FORCES, other smokers' rights groups, and the industry. However, I will keep our communications confidential for obvious reasons.

It also appears that Turci was providing information on American tobacco control campaigns to the Canadian tobacco company. He writes,

...I have spoken with Mr. Sasso (FORCES USA). I will provide pictures of all the antitobacco hate campaign billboards in San Francisco, as well as the TV commercials.

Title ASSORTED INFORMATION
Org. Author CANADIAN FORCES
Per. Author TURCI,G
Date 19971006
Type LETTER
Bates 2064000753
Collection Philip Morris
Pages 1
URL: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/bmh97d00

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