Smoke Screens

Welcome to the website of Smoke Screens: The Truth About Tobacco. Smoke Screens: The Truth About Tobacco is a book which has its basis after years of research and is one of the first comprehensive books on the topic - looking at the studies, what researchers have to say, the scientists involved in the anti-smoking movement, previous attacks on smoking, where the anti-smoking movement came from and who is involved, and diseases said to be caused by smoking.

The first three chapters of Smoke Screens are available to read here for free, with chapter samples available for the rest. The book can be bought as a paperback or ebook from the link on the left-hand side.

On the left of this page you will find an Articles section containing stories, reports and articles that have emerged since the publication of the book. If you would like to receive these articles in your email inbox once a week please sign up to the newsletter. The forum is a place for anyone and everyone to chat, from the book to smoking to random chat. Make sure to check out the Links page for other websites with great information. Lastly, Reviews will contain any review of Smoke Screens.

I have written a small piece on why the book was written and the current state of the smoking agenda, it may be worthwhile giving this a read as an introduction to the book:

Regardless of a person's stance on smoking - pro, anti, or neutral - it is hard to deny that it is one of the biggest and most important topics in our society. There are those who think it needs to be banned for health reasons, those who view banning it as a breach of rights and those who try to remain neutral. Even the neutral ones tend to have some viewpoint though. Irrespective of whether the ban is a good or bad thing to specific individuals, the simple truth is it is impossible to not see the constant stream of anti-smoking hype - to the point where many major film studios are putting anti-smoking messages at the start of their DVD's (Variety.com, 7/08), and there are attempts to get smoking banned from films, with Stanton Glantz criticising films such as Avatar for apparently glorifying cigarette smoking by saying that Signourney Weaver's character enjoying a cigarette is "like someone just put a bunch of plutonium in the water supply." Many people are already aware of how old photos and postage stamps of iconic people, such as blues musician Robert Johnson and the Beatles, have had the cigarettes airbrushed out of their fingers or lips. There are now actions to prevent smokers becoming foster parents and, more recently, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland has received a Ł500,000 "research grant" from the National Lottery to research smoking in the home.

These notions are just the latest tactics to encourage people to stop smoking, or to not start in the first place. Most members of the public would admit that banning smoking in homes to protect neighbours from secondhand smoke is too far. Of course, all these notions are accompanied by scientific research and data which manages to win a certain amount of support from the public. Smoke Screens is a comprehensive book which examines the data, science and researchers to see just how convincing it really is. Further to this, the book contains quotes and excerpts from anti-smokers, physicians and doctors, and tell-tale information from the anti-smoking researchers themselves. Smoke Screens is not a book to advocate smoking, nor does it review pro-smoking science. Instead, it reviews the exact studies anti-smokers have used, to see whether the hysteria is justified, as well as looking at a number of other factors that are overlooked conventionally.

If you have any questions or comments regarding Smoke Screens or any information contained within it, feel free to contact me at the email address on the top left of this page.

Disclaimer: Whilst I have included a disclaimer in the book, I will include it here also: I do not, nor have ever, worked for, or received money from, tobacco companies or other bodies on behalf of the tobacco industry. This book was simply compiled in an attempt to shed some much-needed light and truth on the over-saturated propaganda of the anti-smoking movement.

"Non-smokers need to read your book too, it cuts across all barriers and maybe the most vehement amongst the anti-smokers will begin to understand why they feel so vociferously against the smoker. Read it, you will not be disappointed!"

"this book has the word "contentious" written all over it and it is certain to generate strong opinions."

"certainly pulls no punches"

"clear and well written and provides a good explanation of anti-tobacco research, including not only the science, but the politics behind it."

"Rich White has charted himself a difficult road to walk in Smoke Screens: The Truth About Tobacco, but he walks it well and if you join him you'll learn some things along the path...His dedication and hard work in gathering and organizing evidence has paid off...writes clearly and in an engaging style, presenting facts to support his arguments and presenting those arguments in a straightforward way while avoiding the tedium of simply citing reams of numbers and blocks of repetitive references"

"the author outlines his real goal as being to give unbiased information on an issue which it has become acceptable only to show in a negative light...this will be an eye-opener for all"

Š Copyright All Rights Reserved

Š Copyright All Rights Reserved