Context

All UK press, especially the BBC. ASH campaign continuously for escalating laws against smokers including tax rises, advertising bans and smoking bans.

ASH was created (and funded) by the UK government in 1971 to campaign against smoking, since no significant grass-roots organisation existed to do so. In the period 2004-06, they led the SmokeFree Coalition which successfully lobbied the UK government to overturn its manifesto commitment to exclude ‘wet’ pubs and private members’ clubs from the smoking ban. This coalition included real charities such as Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation alongside other fake charities such as SmokeFree North East and D-MYST.

Currently campaigning for plain-packaging of cigarettes and a ban on the display of tobacco in shops. E-mails released under the Freedom of Information revealed that ASH colluded with the Department of Health and Cancer Research UK to mislead politicians about the likely cost to shop-keepers of the display ban (PDF).

ASH employs YouGov to conduct its opinion polls. YouGov’s president, Peter Kellner, is a trustee of ASH and has publicly campaigned for the tobacco display ban.

Summary

[chart percent=22.5]

Its 2009/10 accounts show a total income of £935,093, of which:

• Department of Health: £210,000
• —
• Total £210,000 (22.5% of all income)

The remainder of its income comes from ASH International (part-funded by Pfizer), Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

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