ORF-E
English
1 x 45 min
Worldwide

Cigarette smoke contains a huge health risk that was long kept secret by the tobacco industry. It wasn’t until the insider Jeffrey Wigand went public with his knowledge of the health risk in 1996 that this strategy was revealed. Jeffrey Wigand was vice president of the R&D division at Brown & Williamson, a tobacco company owned by British American Tobacco. After his television performance on 60 Minutes, the company sued him and he got anonymous death threats. The scandal was portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film ‘The Insider’ with Russel Crowe and Al Pacino. Jeffrey Wigand has since spent his entire time educating people on the consequences of smoking. His Smoke-Free Kids foundation aims at convincing young people in particular of a life without smoking. Scientist have now investigated many ingredients in cigarettes and proved the addictive and carcinogenic effect of many of the substances. Nevertheless the tobacco industry continues to find a way to reach consumers.