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Writer's picturePippa Starr

IS THE AMA’s POSITION ON VAPING INFLUENCED BY “SPONSORSHIP” or ONLY “PAID ADVERTISING”?

by Pippa Starr

8 May, 2024


Is there a difference?


Senator Canavan asked Dr Bonning from the AMA if they received funding from Johnson & Johnson in a recent senate committee hearing.

Johnson and Johnson are a major company who sell nicotine products like berry flavoured sprays, inhalers etc.

The AMA admitted to being paid by Johnson and Johnson!


AMA Response:

“The AMA is funded almost entirely through membership fees paid by doctors, with our policy and advocacy agenda motivated by the profession’s focus on delivering better health outcomes for the community.

The paid advertisement referred to was in a 2012 publication and the AMA is not sponsored by Johnson and Johnson.”


Let’s break this down:

By definition, “sponsored”: provided with funding by a particular organization or body.


The AMA now admits being paid by Johnson and Johnson!

The AMA gave the most prominent spot in a flagship publication to Johnson & Johnson!

It appears to be a cute response to evade the fact that the AMA received payment from a company that clearly has a conflict of interest in the topic.

There is no where left to hide for the AMA now!

If the AMA has any credibility they would open their accounts and transparently exhibit all their funding from external sources over the past decade at least!


That way Australia can see what really motivates them to be so dogged about vaping that their president stated, “there are no good vapes!”

I’m sure well over 1.5 million Australians who have quit smoking by vaping would strongly disagree with that!

Yet, it was just a few years ago, prior to heading up the AMA, Steve Robson indicated in a scientific paper that vapes could be considered as a way to assist pregnant people to help quit smoking!


Something doesn’t smell sweet here!



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