ledger dispatch photo illustration by kelly scott The advertising tactics of cigarette companies have come under scrutiny for the alleged targeting of teens and minors. ledger dispatch photo illustration by kelly scott Educators and public health officials are concerned about a secret study on the effects of smoking on teens.

It was yet another stop on an alarming statewide tour when Kim Homer-Vagadori visited the Amador County Health and Human Services building in Sutter Creek last month.

The spokeswoman for California Youth Advocacy Network, an anti-tobacco coalition, was there to tell an assembly of public health officials, educators, parents and their children about how a Southern California university and major cigarette company had spent the past three years secretly studying the brains of smoking teenagers.

In a multi-year study funded by tobacco giant Philip Morris, the center for smoking cessation at the University of California in Los Angeles conducted research on both vervet monkeys that were fed liquid nicotine and hardcore smokers as young as 14, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"The contract was negotiated between UCLA and the Philip Morris Youth Smoking Prevention corporate responsibility office," Homer-Vagadori said. "The grant appears to be similar to past industry 'special projects' and did not go through a formal peer review process."

The $6 million-grant funded three projects designed to examine how youth become and stay addicted to tobacco. Using human subjects as young as 14, a stepped approach focused on smoking cessation while their neural systems were analyzed. According to Homer-Vagadori, the center was learned about in January 2007 when it was included on a list of tobacco industry-sponsored grants. But requests of the grant went ignored by the university.

A freedom of information request was submitted and denied in July 2007, followed by an intervention from the chairman of the board of regents, which resulted in a heavily redacted copy of the grant. Under pressure from state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and the media, a less redacted copy was released last October.

Aside from the secrecy, anti-tobacco activists were concerned Philip Morris could use the research findings to design more addictive cigarettes, Homer-Vagadori said. But UCLA Professor Edythe London, the lead scientist in the three-year study, said she was hopeful it would result in new and innovative cessation treatments.

"We are doing this because we really want to save lives," she said in an e-mail to the Ledger Dispatch. "I am proud of what we are doing. We have a track record of contributing to science and would like to bring that to the problem of nicotine addiction."

Anti-tobacco activists have criticized Philip Morris' involvement in the study and have expressed doubt that the company is aiding in the cessation of nicotine addiction. On the contrary, they're questioning the validity and honesty of all UCLA research.

"It's stunning that in this day and age a university would do secret research for the tobacco industry on the brains of children," said Matt Myers, spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, in a release.

Philip Morris spokesman William Phelps issued a statement that the company is currently funding 23 projects at seven UC campuses and supports the UCLA study as part of the company's effort to reduce youth tobacco use. "This is to increase scientific understanding in the field," he said, adding that the company has no intention of using the research to create a more addictive cigarette. "We would never do that."

According to Phelps, Philip Morris began searching in 2006 for a scientist who would be interested in conducting research on adolescent tobacco addiction. The search led to London, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology who applied for and was granted $6 million to establish the Adolescent Smoking Cessation Center at the school. Roberto Peccei, vice chancellor of research at UCLA, said this is the first time the campus has withheld research information and acknowledged the school could face legal challenges.

Larry Fossen, 4-H and youth development program director at the county's UC Cooperative Extension, attended Homer-Vagadori's presentation in Jackson and said he was surprised at UCLA's reluctance to reveal the details of its study. Fossen said UC programs, the public and those who work with youth are all interested in research concerning tobacco's effects on health.

"Since youth usage is on the rise, it would be helpful to know how tobacco impacts our youth," he said.

Fossen added that Tobacco Reduction of Amador County, which sponsored the presentation, is making strides in reducing nicotine addiction within the community.

Across the nation, more than 400,000 people die each year, while more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarettes every day and 1,000 become addicted. One third of those will die prematurely as a result of that addiction. A regional survey showed Amador County outpacing surrounding counties when it came to adolescent smoking. In 2005-06, 18 percent of 11th-grade students said they had smoked within the last 30 days, which topped the list. In addition, 12 percent of 9th-graders and 9 percent of 7th-grade students had also smoked within the last 30 days. While it may seem that the percentages are low, they are actually the highest in the region by double and, in some cases, triple the rates reported by other counties.

"Kids are a powerful part of the solution to reducing youth tobacco use," said Dr. Bob Hartmann, county health officer. "Tobacco will be more responsible for preventable deaths than drunk driving, violent crime, drug use and HIV/AIDS combined."