Cigarette Industry Foe Plans Feb. 9 Appearance at UNF

CONTACT AMY PARMELEE
OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS AND EVENTS
(904) 620-2140



JACKSONVILLE – Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, whose controversial disclosures about the tobacco industry were the subject of a movie, will speak at the University of North Florida on Monday, Feb. 9, as part of a number of Jacksonville appearances to encourage kids not to smoke.

Wigand was an executive with Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp. when he revealed that his employer was hiding documents indicating that cigarettes were both addictive and lethal. The disclosures resulted in a famous "60 Minutes" interview that was initially pulled from the network show because of tobacco industry pressure. His life also was portrayed by actor Russell Crowe in the 1999 movie "The Insider."

His Jacksonville appearance is being hosted by Leadership Jacksonville, Jacksonville University and UNF. The sponsors are the American Cancer Society, BellSouth, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Davis, and Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver.

Wigand’s UNF speech will be at 7 p.m. at the University Center on the UNF campus. It will be preceded by a public reception at 6:30 p.m. He will discuss smoking and health, and his experiences with the tobacco industry since making his disclosures. The speech is free; no tickets are required.

Wigand also will teach a fifth-grade class at Rawlings Elementary School in Ponte Vedra Beach. Wigand has developed a free educational video with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The CDC has sent out more than 30,000 copies of Secrets Through the Smoke, which explains the harmful and addictive effects of smoking.

“The tobacco companies target underage kids,” Wigand says, “because they know that if they hook them young, they hook them for life.”

In addition to talking to the media, information provided by Wigand became an important source of Medicaid suits in Florida and other states. The documents he provided showed that Brown and Williamson had misled consumers about the highly addictive nature of nicotine, ignored research indicating that some of the additives used to improve flavor caused cancer, and hid documents that could be used against the company in lawsuits brought by sick or dying smokers.

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MEDIA NOTE
Jeffrey Wigand will be available for media interviews Monday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. at the University Center prior to his UNF speech. Media interested in interviews must contact the Office of Media Relations and Events at 620-2140 to make arrangements.

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