Institutional addiction to tobacco

I just read an interesting article about how the tobacco industry can enter institutions via well-positioned people (see the citation below).

• Robert Prichard: former president and former Dean of Law at the University of Toronto. During his time as president, he was concurrently a director of Imasco (the holding company of Imperial Tobacco).
• Robert Parker: member of the Board of the Foundation of Women's College Hospital (a fully-affiliated teaching hospital of the University of Toronto). He is also president and chief spokesperson for the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers' Council.
• Brian Levitt: appointed to the University of Toronto's fundraising campaign cabinet in 1997. He was also president and chief executive officer of Imasco.

While it may not be surprising, this information is certainly disturbing. One can only imagine what the implications of these practices are.

Source: Cohen JE, Ashley MJ, Ferrence R, Brewster JM, Goldstein AO (1999) Institutional addiction to tobacco. Tobacco Control 8:70-74

100% tobacco-free!

It is with elation and a sense of closure that we report the divestment of the University of Toronto from its remaining Rothmans Inc. stocks. To our knowledge, this makes the University of Toronto the first Canadian university to divest from tobacco companies. Hopefully, other post-secondary institutions across the nation will follow their lead towards ethical investing.

Read more about E-BUTT's role in the University of Toronto's decision to divest in this article.