Author Rich White scrutinises the tobacco related health myth in his new book Smoke Screens, The Truth About Tobacco, which is released next week.
Rich's detailed research retraces the steps of the anti-smoking movement and analyses its often outrageous, and inflated, claims about tobacco.
The book looks at smoking related diseases and what actually causes them and how tobacco was exploited as a cause all because of the massive amount of funding being thrown in by Big Pharma to "prove" how dangerous it was.
What is often now referred to as the evil weed, had humble, medicinal roots, and was used by Native Americans to treat many ailments. Up until 30 years ago, it was recomended by GPs, and Rich's own granny was told to smoke when pregnant on doctor's orders. The accusation that tobacco kills millions, is explored, and how this simple plant became so controversial is explained.
"The sad truth is that because the mantra of smoking being harmful has been repeated so many times people now just accept it without question or research. However, misinformation or a lie told over and over is still wrong; never will mere repetition make something true," he said.
Rich, who gets no funding from any tobacco firm, or tobacco related industry, has shown that the time has come to find out just where the truth does lie. The fanatical whisper that became a roar because of personal prejudices and big money is about to be exposed.