Challenge Issued to Document that FORCES is a Tobacco Front Group

I am today issuing a challenge to anti-smoking organizations and advocates that are claiming FORCES is a tobacco industry front group to document their claim by providing evidence that FORCES is funded by the tobacco companies.

Several anti-smoking groups and a number of advocates are continuing to make this claim (see ANR's website for example), and I'm frankly fed up with it. I'm fed up because these are inappropriate, undocumented claims and as such, are unbefitting for a public health organization. It's time to either provide the evidence or discontinue these unwarranted and undocumented public claims.

As an added incentive, I am throwing in a fabulous prize. I will make a $100 donation to any anti-smoking organization that is able, by close of business on Wednesday, to document that FORCES is funded by tobacco companies.

Since several anti-smoking organizations are making this claim, they surely must have documentation of it, so a deadline of tomorrow at the end of the day seems quite reasonable. And since I don't have a lot of money, I will limit the prize to the first organization that is able to provide the documentation, since I assume that there must be a lot of documentation out there to support a number of organizations and advocates making this claim.

Good luck to all contestants!