The world's largest tobacco company is putting pressure on a Scottish university to release its research on teenage smokers and their smoking habits.
Stirling University‘s Centre for Tobacco Control Research has spent the past decade questioning 6,000 young people about why they smoke and what they think of tobacco marketing. The department was set up by Cancer Research UK with the hope of trying to cut the numbers of teenagers who start smoking.
However, Philip Morris International, which makes Marlboro cigarettes, has recently become very interested in the findings. The company has submitted a Freedom of Information request to the university, showing particular interest in the research done into plain packaging for cigarettes.
"Deeply Concerning"
The request has angered academics and researchers at Stirling, who claim that revealing the results would be a breach of confidence and could out any future research at risk. Prof Gerard Hastings from the Centre said:
