Grant Number:	5R01CA087696-03 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Cummings, K
Organization:	Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp
Project Title:	Internal Council for Tobacco Research and Tobacco Instit
Fiscal Year:	2002

DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) Within the 'Marketing Tobacco to Youth:Evidence from Corporate Documents' study, we have developed a system for indexing and abstracting the tobacco industry documents, a system now being adopted by similar initiatives worldwide. Presently, we have processed approximately 6,000 tobacco industry documents and have made them available for public research through a searchable Internet database at http://www.tobaccodocuments.org. This database offers full subject access and comprehensive abstracts to facilitate research of the tobacco industry documents. In early 1999, the Council for Tobacco Research was subjected to corporate dissolution as a result of the Minnesota Settlement Agreement. Its internal documents, under the authority of the New York State Attorney General's Office, have been transferred to the New York State Archives (NYSA); as have the files of The Tobacco Institute (TI). These documents are not included in the Minnesota Depository and are only accessible through the Archives in Albany, N.Y. NYSA has been charged with developing a plan for permanent storage and public access of the documents. It is strongly anticipated that the CTR and TI files contain fIrst-hand information regarding the tobacco industry's research and development activities, promotional and legal strategies and once confidential attorney-client files outlining the industry's plan of action against proposed regulatory measures. Unfortunately, the CTR and TI records are currently unindexed, preventing meaningful access to the collection. With neither subject access nor comprehensive abstracts, the value of these collections as a research tool for the public health community is significantly reduced. This proposal outlines a plan to assist the New York State Archives in meeting its charge of making the CTR and TI documents publicly accessible in a fully-indexed and abstracted format. Our collaboration with the New York State Archives will no doubt stimulate additional tobacco-related research. Additionally, as part of this project, we will index and abstract approximately one third of the Bliley collection of industry documents (Tobacco Institute, Lorillard and Philip Morris documents), and collaborate with additional public health researchers to index, abstract and evaluate the industry documents related to packaging and pricing strategies. We strongly anticipate that this collaboration will shed new light on I) the industry's efforts at circumventing excise taxes, and 2) methods employed by the industry to promote tobacco products through packaging. We anticipate that this information will assist policy makers in evaluating current regulatory measures to curtail tobacco usage.