Biased research threatens the legitimacy of science

According to an article on the Norwegian news outlet Nettavisen, the Norwegian public health authority has failed in its demands for independence in its research. They have attempted to establish a link between snus and cancer, something that is now criticized by researchers for being a biased and ethically questionable approach to research.

In the Nettavisen article, a Norwegian researcher criticizes the study for being too biased and intentionally stigmatizing snus by manipulating the study’s results. The researcher has extensive experience in statistics and can easily determine that the study’s method does not follow ethical research practices. This is, of course, deeply regrettable. The fact that researchers choose not to adhere to the objective methods of science is an indication that the spread of knowledge about alternatives to smoking needs improvement.

Unserious research

We have previously emphasized the importance of researchers taking questions related to risk reduction and alternatives to smoking seriously and not basing their assumptions on outdated beliefs. There is research in this field that the Norwegian study fails to consider.

“What does this indicate if not that the researchers, behind their certificates, are hiding an agenda and a reluctance to confront the truth?” says Markus Lindblad, Chief of Communications at Haypp Group.

Sharing knowledge is the key

Now researchers must tackle the issue head-on and acknowledge that the strategies for risk reduction successfully implemented by countries like Sweden and the United Kingdom have been effective to prevent premature deaths due to smoking.

Research on tobacco and nicotine must now be conducted using established scientific methods. When research is conducted to justify political decisions rather than forming the basis for them, we risk not only increased political distrust, but also a disdain for the world of research as a whole.