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5/1/2008: Manufacturing uncertainty
Re: Gambling Figures Out of Line, April 22, by Bill Rutsey.
Mr. Rutsey, the CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, endeavours to obfuscate discussion of the impact of problem gambling. As the industry lobbyist, it is clearly his job to produce calming words to convince the province and the public that all that can be done is being done, and that no further action need be considered.
This approach has been labelled “manufacturing uncertainty,” by David Michaels in a 2005 article in the American Journal of Public Health (Vol. 95 No. S1) [.pdf] who states: “Opponents of public health and environmental regulations often try to “manufacture uncertainty” by questioning scientific evidence on which regulations are based.
Though most identified with the tobacco industry, this strategy has been used by producers of other hazardous products. Its proponents use the label “junk science” to ridicule research that threatens powerful interests.
Mr. Rutsey’s disingenuous use of selective quotes, his inaccurate comparison of two studies and his selective application of criteria are the work not of a scientist seeking the truth, but of an industry lobbyist endeavouring to generate a smokescreen. I am reminded of the tobacco industry’s now infamous credo in relation to the “research” it funded in the U.S.: “Our product is doubt.”
The Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre is an arms-length agency created by the province to fund credible research into the causes of and effective responses to problem gambling. This structure reflects the intention of government to support research in a way that best meets public interests. Oversight is provided by an independent board of directors with impeccable credentials and a commitment to scientific investigation.
ROBERT SIMPSON
Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre
Guelph
Gambling figures out of line Bill Rutsey Canadian Gaming Association The Windsor Star April 22, 2008
Manufacturing Uncertainity: Contested Science and the Protection of the Public’s Health and Environment David Michaels, PhD, MPH, and Celeste Monforton, MPH Supplement 1, 2005, Vol 95, No. S1 American Journal of Public Health (html)
Robert:
You can’t realize what a great boost your letter in The Windsor Star is. How fascinating to met that today The London Free Press has a story about a school janitor who misdirected 250 thousand dollars. After five years he will begin a two year prison term. It will take 31 years to repay his gambling debt.
I wonder if Mr. Rutsey will tell us who pays for this.
This is the most potent letter from a high profile specialist I’ve seen regarding the damage inflicted by the social landmine of gambling. Thank you.
Bill Clark
May 6th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
[...] For full coverage see Gambling Watch Global: Manufacturing uncertainty [...]