Harvard Medical School Teams Up with Makers of Bacardi Rum, Smirnoff Vodka, Jim Beam Bourbon, and Jack Daniels Whiskey, Providing Great PR at Bargain Rates

Last July, Harvard Medical School and its Cambridge Health Alliance accepted $3.3 million from the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility to create an endowed chair in behavioral sciences research at Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance. The Dean of the Harvard Medical School proudly announced the acceptance of this money and praised the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, while acknowledging a long-standing alliance between the two entities: "The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility has long been a strong supporter of the research program at Cambridge Health Alliance, particularly in the Department of Psychiatry."The Rest of the StoryThis would be a wonderful story except for a couple of things. First, the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility isn't some independent foundation that provides grants for a wide spectrum of alcohol research. Instead, it is an alcohol industry organization that is funded by several alcohol companies, including Bacardi (the maker of Bacardi rum), Diageo (the maker of Smirnoff vodka), Beam Suntory (the maker of Jim Beam bourbon), Brown-Forman (the maker of Jack Daniels), and Constellation Brands (maker of Svedka vodka and Corona Extra beer). Its primary purpose is, as I discussed yesterday with respect to Anheuser Busch InBev, to obscure the devastating health hazards associated with "responsible" drinking by suggesting that as long as you drink alcohol responsibly, there is no proble...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - Category: Addiction Source Type: blogs