In an unprecedented move in Canada, three faculties at the University of Alberta passed similar motions in a matter of weeks rejecting tobacco industry funding. One of these faculties was home to a researcher with a US$1.5 million grant by the US Smokeless Tobacco Company (UST).

The chain of events leading to this action started inadvertently. Over a year ago, a physician in the department of psychiatry applied for federal research funding designated for tobacco control in special populations. A requirement of the granting body was the absence of tobacco funding in the home department, which could not be complied with due to the alleged presence of a tobacco industry consultant in …