FOREST Totally Explained

Everything about Forests totally explained

FOREST (an acronym for "Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco") is a United Kingdom political pressure group that campaigns for the right of people to smoke tobacco and opposes attempts to ban or reduce tobacco consumption. FOREST also disputes the health risks of smoking. Describing itself as the "voice and friend of the smoker", FOREST is an astroturf group created and primarily funded by the tobacco industry.

History

FOREST was officially founded in 1979 by former Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris.
In 1987 Lord Harris of High Cross, general director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (1957-1989), was appointed chairman, a position he held until his death in October 2006, aged 81. A long-term pipesmoker and an outspoken critic of public smoking bans, Ralph Harris wrote numerous articles and essays on the subject of passive smoking (inhaling others' secondhand smoke, also known as "sidestream smoke" or "environmental tobacco smoke"), including "Smoking Out The Truth: a challenge to the Chief Medical Officer" (2005).
FOREST spokesmen appear regularly on television and radio in the United Kingdom and are frequently quoted by British newspapers as representatives of smokers.

Funding

FOREST is an astroturf group created and primarily funded by the tobacco industry. FOREST's website states that it's funded 'mainly' by the tobacco industry.

Recent developments

In recent years FOREST has attracted the support of several high profile smokers including artist David Hockney, inventor Trevor Baylis, musician Joe Jackson, restaurateur and TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson, and Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas. In September 2005 Hockney, Jackson and Fox all spoke at a fringe meeting organised by FOREST at the Labour Party conference in Brighton.
In February 2006, FOREST lost its fight against a total ban on smoking in enclosed public places in England from Summer 2007. This includes all pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants, as well as workplaces and private members clubs. Similar bans have come into force in Northern Ireland (Spring 2007) and Wales (April 2007). Scotland introduced its own public smoking ban in March 2006. Despite this, FOREST says it'll continue to fight for what it calls "freedom of choice". Current slogans include "Smokers are voters, too", "Enough is enough" and "Nanny state? No thanks".

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