John Luik
John Luik is a senior fellow of the Democracy Institute[1]. Luik is a tobacco industry consultant who advised American and Canadian tobacco companies on passive smoking. Luik has written numerous articles on the over-exaggeration of the health effects of second-hand smoke, has spoken at tobacco company conferences and workshops, has been employed as a anti-smoke-free spokesperson, is a featured columnist on the smokers rights website FORCES. Luik co-authored a book with Gio Gori, published by British Columbia's Fraser Institute, called "Passive Smoke: The EPA's Betrayal of Science and Policy" in which they blame the EPA for producing "junk science". Luik lobbied on behalf of restraunts in 1999 during Toronto's smoke-free bylaw campaign in 1999, criticising a report by Toronto's Medical Officer of Health that linked lung cancer and passive smoking. Although he has referred to himself as Dr. Luik, he is not a scientist: his doctorate is in philosophy[2].
CBC TV Report
A CBC Television report in June 2001 showed that Luik has made false statements about his academic credentials[3]. The report showed that during Luik's professorship at Brock University, the Dean of Humanities, Cecil Abrahams, discovered that Luik had lied about visiting professorships at other academic institutions and had added books or articles to his list of publications that did not exist. Abrahams (who is now Vice-Cancellor at West Cape University in South Africa) made the following statement about Luik during an interview for the CBC investigative report:
- I certainly would not trust anything John Luik says because he must be the worst case of fraud that I have come across and I've been an administrator at universities for a long period of time, both in North America and in Africa, and I think he's by far the worst case of fraudulent behaviour.
Tobacco Industry Connections
In 1999, the World Health Organization brought together experts from around the world to examine the effects of second-hand smoke on children's health. The experts agreed exposure to second-hand smoke caused a wide variety of adverse health effects in children, including lower respiratory-tract infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Other ill effects included reduced birth weight and decreased lung function. Ultimately, experts concluded, second-hand smoke caused death and suffering[4].
John Luik became a tobacco industry lobbyist who lent his "sometimes invented" credentials to the task of discrediting sound science. A doctor of philosophy, Mr. Luik refashioned himself as an expert on tobacco, publishing in an alumni magazine an article that had been edited and vetted and funded by the tobacco industry[5].
Luik has also made his work-in-progress available to tobacco companies and organizations prior to publication. For example, in 1993 Luik was in correspondence with The Confederation of European Community Cigarettes Manufacturers Limited regarding the publication of his paper, "Pandora's Box - The Dangers of Politically Corrupted Science for Democratic Public Policy", informing the Confederation that his article had been submitted for publication to Philosophy and Public Affairs Journal. In an internal Confederation memo dated September 9, 1993 , the author of the memo instructs the tobacco company representatives that "until it [Luik's paper] is formally received, members should NOT [emphasis theirs] make use of the article for external lobbying purposes."[6].
In a subsequent memo to the Confederation, dated November 9, 1993 , the author informs the Confederation members of Luik's concerns over proposed changes to his paper by the Philosophy and Public Affairs Journal, and relates Luik's request for input on how to proceed[7].
Resources
John Luik Interview, Interview Transcript, C.B.C. Television, 21-June-2001
Affiliations
Democracy Institute | Spiked | Fraser Institute | FORCES | Niagra Institute
Notes
- ↑ Patrick Basham and John Luik, NYC: The City That Never Smokes, Democracy Institute, 26-October-2009, Accessed 10-February-2010
- ↑ Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
- ↑ CBC T.V. News and Current Affairs, June 21, 2001; CBC Television
- ↑ Montreal Gazette, Blowing smoke, Cornwall Standard Freeholder (Ontario), 2-July-2001
- ↑ Montreal Gazette, Blowing smoke, Cornwall Standard Freeholder (Ontario), 2-July-2001
- ↑ Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
- ↑ Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
