Working Mission Statement, approved by the Board in 2013:

The mission of the Society is to stimulate the generation and dissemination of new knowledge concerning nicotine and tobacco in all its manifestations—from molecular to societal.

The Society has three main aims:

1. To sponsor scientific meetings and publications fostering the exchange of information on nicotine and tobacco.
2. To encourage scientific research on public health efforts for the prevention and treatment of tobacco use.
3. To provide a means by which legislative, governmental, regulatory and other public agencies can obtain expert advice and consultation on nicotine and tobacco.

Formal Mission Statement and Goals (from the SRNT Bylaws, 1994)

1. Mission Statement. The mission of the Society for Research on Nicotine and
Tobacco, Inc. (the “Society”) shall be to stimulate the generation of new knowledge concerning nicotine and tobacco in all their manifestations, from molecular to societal.

2. Goals. The main goal is to sponsor scientific meetings and publications to foster the exchange of information on the biological, behavioral, social, and economic effects of nicotine and tobacco. These activities shall include, though not be limited to, research on mechanisms of action and the use of nicotine as a probe of nervous system function as well as applied research on the behavioral, pharmacological, and health effects of tobacco use, nicotine dependence, the therapeutic uses of nicotine, and research on tobacco control policy. Additional goals are:

(a) To encourage scientific research on public health efforts for the prevention and treatment of smoking and tobacco use by constituting a forum for scientific research on these issues.

(b) To provide the means by which various legislative, governmental, regulatory, and other public agencies, and ethical corporate interests, such as the pharmaceutical industry, can obtain expert advice and consultation on critical issues concerning tobacco use, nicotine dependence, the therapeutic uses of nicotine, and tobacco control policy.

As a nonprofit, member-focused association, SRNT is mission-oriented and values-driven. The values that inform Board policy and organizational activities include:

• Commitment to the public good
• Accountability to the members and to the public
• Respect for the worth and dignity of individuals
• Inclusiveness and social justice
• Respect for pluralism and diversity
• Commitment to anti-racist programs and activities throughout the research community
• Transparency, integrity, and honesty
• Responsible stewardship of resources
• Commitment to excellence and to maintaining the public trust
• Commitment to the promotion of excellence in science
• Commitment to use of the evidence base in all aspects of public policy, education and information
• Commitment to personal and professional honor
• Respect for all persons, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, age or national origin
• Commitment to serving the best interest of members and the profession at large

We, as volunteers and staff of SRNT, dedicate ourselves to carrying out the mission of this organization. We will do the following:

1. Recognize that the chief function of SRNT at all times is to serve the best interests of our members.
2. Accept as a personal duty the responsibility to keep up to date on emerging issues and to conduct ourselves with professional competence, fairness, impartiality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
3. Respect the structure and responsibilities of the board, provide them with facts and advice as a basis for their making policy decisions, and uphold and implement policies adopted by the board.
4. Keep the community informed about issues affecting it.
5. Conduct our organizational and operational duties with positive leadership exemplified by open communication, creativity, dedication, and compassion.
6. Exercise whatever discretionary authority we have under the law to carry out the mission of the organization.
7. Serve with respect, concern, courtesy, and responsiveness in carrying out the organization’s mission.
8. Demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, honesty, and fortitude in all our activities in order to inspire confidence and trust in our activities.
9. Avoid any interest or activity that is in conflict with the conduct of our official duties.
10. Respect and protect privileged information to which we have access in the course of our official duties.
11. Strive for personal and professional excellence and encourage the professional developments of others.
12. Promote racial inclusion, as well as inclusion of gender, sexual identity, and other minoritized groups.

The Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT) is committed to providing a respectful, safe, and welcoming environment that is free from harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other intimidating or disruptive behavior for all participants, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, or other protected characteristic, as well as place of employment, research funding source, or positions/viewpoints on divisive issues related to nicotine/tobacco research.

All SRNT members and Participants are expected to exercise consideration and respect in their speech and actions and to conduct themselves in an appropriate and professional manner.

Applicable Settings
This policy applies to all SRNT-sponsored events and the policies herein apply to all attendees, speakers, presenters, exhibitors, staff, contractors, volunteers, and guests at the meeting and related events, including but not limited to:

• • Annual Meeting, including scientific sessions, pre-conference workshops, exhibits, and any other SRNT-sponsored events related to the Annual Meeting 
  • Board teleconferences and meetings
  • Network and Committee teleconferences and meetings
  • Posts on the SRNT and SRNT-sponsored listservs
  • Any other meeting that is being convened under the SRNT name

Who is Bound by this Code?
This policy applies to all SRNT-sponsored and affiliated events, and the policies herein apply to all attendees, speakers, presenters, exhibitors, staff, contractors, volunteers, and guests.

Expected Behavior
Participants in SRNT-sponsored activities are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate and professional manner. As representatives of our field, members and Participants should, at all times, demonstrate high standards of personal conduct and aspire to elevate the field of nicotine/tobacco research by modeling integrity, competency, professionalism, and truthfulness.

Members and participants of SRNT shall:

• • Demonstrate respect and consideration for all people. 
  • Truthfully and accurately represent one’s credentials, professional education, and experience, as well as conflicts of interest and, where appropriate, funding sources.
  • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert SRNT staff if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.
  • Be collaborative. Communicate openly, with respect for other participants, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
  • Be mindful not to exert dominance over others or over exchang
  • Demonstrate that differing perspectives are valued – including those that you may not share; SRNT is, after all, a gathering place for researchers from different backgrounds, different viewpoints, and different approaches to solving the problems facing our field and society. Critique ideas, not people. No personal attacks.
  • Refrain from behavior and speech that is intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, disruptive, threatening, derogatory, unlawful, or demeaning toward others.
  • If asked by a session leader or facilitator, or any convening official, to stop conduct or comments, immediately comply. 
  • Honor the intellectual property rights of SRNT and its participants.
  • Respect the rules and policies of the meeting venue, hotels, SRNT-contracted facility, or any other venue.
  • Refrain from harmful or inappropriate verbal or written comments or visual images related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics.
  • Refrain from inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual language and images in public spaces (including presentation slides and speech).
  • Refrain from destroying or vandalizing the property or materials of others.
  • Refrain from inappropriate use of alcohol or smoking, including smokeless tobacco products and ENDS, other than in designated areas.
  • Refrain from any other illegal activity not already covered above.

What is Harassment?
Prohibited harassment includes verbal, physical, and visual conduct that creates an intimidating, offensive, or hostile environment.

Harassing conduct can take many forms and includes, but is not limited to, the following: slurs, epithets, derogatory comments, insults, degrading or obscene words, jokes, demeaning statements, offensive gestures, or displaying derogatory or demeaning pictures, drawings, or cartoons based upon an individual’s sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, physical or mental disability, perceived disability, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by federal or pertinent state laws or local ordinances.

Sexually harassing conduct in particular includes all of these prohibited actions, as well as other unwelcome conduct that is sexual in nature, such as unwanted sexual advances; lewd propositions or innuendos; leering; making sexual gestures; making sexually suggestive or graphic comments or engaging in inappropriate sexually-oriented conversation; displaying sexually suggestive objects, graphics, pictures, or posters, whether physically or over the Internet; making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs or jokes; the sexual touching or display of one’s own body; or unwanted physical touching or assault, as well as impeding or blocking movements.

Sexually harassing conduct can be by a person of either the same or different gender. Conduct that begins as consensual in nature may become harassment if one party withdraws their consent. Consent must be ongoing and enthusiastic or the conduct is nonconsensual. Sexual or other harassment prohibited by this policy is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

The above list of prohibited behaviors is not a complete rendering of what may be deemed sexual or other harassment prohibited by this policy. It is difficult to define every action or word that could be interpreted as harassment. However, SRNT has a “zero tolerance” policy toward discrimination and all forms of harassment. SRNT reserves the right to discipline meeting participants who engage in any inappropriate conduct, even if it is not specifically referred to or defined in this Code, or is not legally actionable as sexual or any other form of harassment.

Prohibited Conduct

Prohibited conduct at SRNT meetings includes, but is not limited to:

1. harassment based on sex, gender, race, color, personal appearance, national origin, religion, age, physical disability, mental disability, perceived disability, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by federal or pertinent state laws; 
2. demeaning comments or harassment about a person’s professional status, qualifications, or affiliations; 
3. sexual harassment, as defined as outlined in this document; 
4. abusive conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with another person’s ability to benefit from and enjoy or participate in the meeting, including social events related to the meeting and sponsored by SRNT; 
5. undue or excessive interruption of any event, speaker, or session; and 
6. violence or threats of violence. 

Reporting Harassment
SRNT is committed to supporting a productive and safe working environment for everyone at SRNT-sponsored meetings or events. Anyone who feels unsafe at an SRNT meeting or event should use a venue phone and ask for security. Persons experiencing or witnessing harassment – or wrongful conduct of any kind — are encouraged to report it by one of the methods listed below and providing as many details as possible.

Reports may be made anonymously, although SRNT can investigate and handle a complaint more effectively if the identities of both the alleged victim and harasser are known.

EMERGENCY Situations
Contact security at the event venue
Contact SRNT’s Security Team (via the registration desk)
Call Police at 9-1-1

NON-EMERGENCY Situations
For situations with no immediate danger, contact one of the following, based on your comfort level:
SRNT Executive Director, Bruce Wheeler (send email)

1. Rees Group staff at the registration desk.
2. Any of three Past Presidents designated to serve as Points of Contact at a particular meeting or event.
3. The SRNT President or any member of the Board of Directors (names and phone numbers are available at the registration desk)

Virtual Reporting
Participants may lodge complaints on the SRNT website (insert web address). Complaints will be referred to (SRNT Board to determine) within 24 hours.

Follow-Up & Investigation
The SRNT Board will process received complaints and take appropriate action. During a meeting or event that responsibility may be delegated to an SRNT official or other representative. If a report is made by someone who is willing to be contacted, a management team member from The Rees Group (TRG) or a member of the Board of Directors will follow up with that person.

If a report is made by an individual who wishes to remain anonymous, TRG will forward the report to the Board of Directors for review.

An investigation will be conducted as appropriate, based upon the nature of the complaint. In most situations, the representative will discuss the complaint details first with the individual filing the report and may also contact the alleged offender. The findings will be reported to the SRNT Board of Directors.

SRNT will take action when appropriate to protect the safety and well-being of its members and other meeting attendees. Actions may include removing an individual from a meeting or event without warning, prohibiting an individual from attending future SRNT meetings, and/or rescinding SRNT membership. SRNT may also contact law enforcement authorities if it appears that laws were broken.

Consequences
Unacceptable behavior including violations of this policy will not be tolerated. If a member or participant engages in unacceptable behavior, staff, after consultation with the President and as necessary the Board of Directors, may take appropriate action, including removal from the meeting, without refund, and/or prohibition from attending future SRNT meetings or participating in any future SRNT events/activities. Egregious violations will be referred to the Board of Directors for action or sanctions, including, for members, expulsion from the Society (in accordance with Bylaws Article III.2) and the possibility of reporting to local law enforcement.

No Retaliation
Retaliation against a person reporting harassment is also a violation of this policy. It is also a violation to report an incident in bad faith. SRNT will take action against any person found to be committing a willful violation.

Photography, Recording and Social Media
SRNT promotes the advancement and open sharing of scientific knowledge and also recognizes a fundamental responsibility to prevent the unauthorized use of proprietary, preliminary, or unpublished information shared by speakers.

• • Photography: Non-flash photographs may be taken during oral or poster presentations for non-commercial personal use only, unless prohibited by the speaker, and may NOT be published in any form. Distraction to presenters and audience members must be minimized when capturing images.
  • Audio Visual Recording: Audio or video recording of sessions by means of any device (e.g. cell phones/PDAs, laptops, cameras, etc.) is prohibited. This includes video taped interviews during poster or other scientific sessions. If interviews are desired, please contact staff to request assistance from SRNT’s Media Coordinator.
  • Social Media: Attendees may post information from sessions on social media in a professional manner but are expected to respect the wishes of presenters. Information or images from presentation slides marked “DO NOT POST” may NOT be shared on social media in any form. Information on posters may NOT be posted to social media unless permission is granted by the corresponding author/presenter. Participants are expected to respect the copyright and other intellectual property rights of presenters.

Note About Differences of Opinion and Offense
It is not a violation of this Code of Conduct Policy to express an opinion or to raise relevant research or an experience that may be at odds with the opinions of others—if the comments are part of a serious discussion of the convening topic at hand and is offered in a manner that is both respectful and considerate. However, making comments reasonably expected to cause offense gratuitously may be considered a violation.

The purpose of the conflict-of-interest policy is to protect SRNT’s interest when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of an officer or director of the organization or might result in a possible excess benefit transaction. This policy is intended to supplement but not replace any applicable state and federal laws governing conflict of interest applicable to nonprofit and charitable organizations.

Definitions

1. Interested Person
Any director, principal officer, or member of a committee with governing board–delegated powers, who has a direct or indirect financial interest, as defined below, is an interested person.

2. Financial Interest
A person has a financial interest if the person has, directly or indirectly, through business, investment, or family:
a. An ownership or investment interest in any entity with which the organization has a transaction or arrangement,
b. A compensation arrangement with the organization or with any entity or individual with which the organization has a transaction or arrangement, or
c. A potential ownership or investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with, any entity or individual with which the organization is negotiating a transaction or arrangement.

Compensation includes direct and indirect remuneration as well as gifts or favors that are not insubstantial.

A financial interest is not necessarily a conflict of interest. Under Article III, Section 2, a person who has a financial interest may have a conflict of interest only if the appropriate governing board or committee decides that a conflict of interest exists.

Procedures

1. Duty To Disclose
In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence of the financial interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the directors and members of committees with governing board–delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement.

2. Determining Whether a Conflict of Interest Exists
After disclosure of the financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, he or she shall leave the governing board or committee meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining board or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists.

3. Procedures for Addressing the Conflict of Interest
a. An interested person may make a presentation at the governing board or committee meeting, but after the presentation, he or she shall leave the meeting during the discussion of, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement involving the possible conflict of interest.
b. The chair of the governing board or committee shall, if appropriate, appoint a disinterested person or committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement.
c. After exercising due diligence, the governing board or committee shall determine whether the organization can obtain with reasonable efforts a more advantageous transaction or arrangement from a person or entity that would not give rise to a conflict of interest.
d. If a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably possible under circumstances not producing a conflict of interest, the governing board or committee shall determine by a majority vote of the disinterested directors whether the transaction or arrangement is in the organization’s best interest, for its own benefit, and whether it is fair and reasonable. In conformity with the above determination, it shall make its decision as to whether to enter into the transaction or arrangement.

4. Violations of the Conflicts-of-Interest Policy
a. If the governing board or committee has reasonable cause to believe a member has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the member of the basis for such belief and afford the member an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose.
b. If, after hearing the member’s response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the governing board or committee determines the member has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action.

Records of Proceedings
The minutes of the Board and all committees with board-delegated powers shall contain:
a. The names of the persons who disclosed or otherwise were found to have a financial interest in connection with an actual or possible conflict of interest, the nature of the financial interest, any action taken to determine whether a conflict of interest was present, and the governing board’s or committee’s decision as to whether a conflict of interest in fact existed
b. The names of the persons who were present for discussions and votes relating to the transaction or arrangement, the content of the discussion, including any alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement, and a record of any votes taken in connection with the proceedings

Compensation
a. A voting member of the board who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from the organization for services is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that member’s compensation.
b. A voting member of any committee whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from the organization for services is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that member’s compensation.
c. No voting member of the governing board or any committee whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from the organization, either individually or collectively, is prohibited from providing information to any committee regarding compensation.

Annual Statements
Each director, principal officer, and member of a committee with governing board–delegated powers shall annually sign a statement that affirms such person: 
a. Has received a copy of the conflict-of-interest policy,
b. Has read and understands the policy,
c. Has agreed to comply with the policy, and
d. Understands the organization is charitable and in order to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities that accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes.

Periodic Reviews
To ensure the organization operates in a manner consistent with charitable purposes and does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status, periodic reviews shall be conducted. The periodic reviews shall, at a minimum, include the following subjects:
a. Whether compensation arrangements and benefits are reasonable, based on competent survey information, and the result of arm’s-length bargaining
b. Whether partnerships, joint ventures, and arrangements with management organizations conform to the organization’s written policies, are properly recorded, reflect reasonable investment or payments for goods and services, further charitable purposes, and do not result in inurement, impermissible private benefit, or in an excess benefit transaction

Use of Outside Experts
When conducting the periodic reviews, SRNT may, but need not, use outside advisors. If outside experts are used, their use shall not relieve the governing board of its responsibility for ensuring periodic reviews are conducted.

The science of nicotine and tobacco research, as does all science, must be beyond reproach. The presence of undeclared sources of support and financial interests has the possibility of undermining the reputation, influence, and actions of SRNT regardless of whether the financial factors emanate from tobacco or non-tobacco industries. The issue of credibility is especially salient because nicotine and tobacco research is conducted in a charged political environment. Therefore, the Society believes that full disclosure of potential competing interests is essential for its officers and committee members and is desirable for all members.

Definition of Competing Interest
A competing interest exists when a member has a financial relationship with an organization that has the potential to bias actions taken on behalf of SRNT. The existence of a competing interest does not necessarily mean that a conflict of interest exists, but it does indicate that such a situation is possible. The potential for conflict of interest can exist whether or not an individual believes that the relationship affects his or her scientific judgment or his or her decisions made on behalf of SRNT. Financial relationships (such as employment, research or educational grants, consultancies, ownership of stock shares, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patents) are the most easily identifiable conflicts of interest and the most likely to undermine the credibility of actions taken on behalf of SRNT.

Policy for SRNT Officers and Committee Members
Because of these considerations, it is SRNT policy that all officers of the Society, candidates for office in the Society, and all current and prospective committee members of the Society must disclose all relationships that could be viewed as potential competing interests. This information will be collected and updated annually and will be posted on the SRNT Website. Candidates for office will be required to include this information in their ballot statements.

Individuals are required to disclose, to the best of their recollection, all financial support for the past 3 years and any pending proposals for funding from:

• • the tobacco industry (defined as a tobacco company, the Council for Tobacco Research, Center for Indoor Air Research, and law firms or other interests representing one or more tobacco companies to conduct research or provide consultation)
  • the pharmaceutical industry or other for-profit company that makes smoking cessation products or other relevant products (e.g., educational materials, test kits)
  • government agencies (e.g., NIH, CDC)
  • private foundations that fund nicotine and tobacco research or programs (e.g., Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Legacy Foundation)
  • advocacy organizations 
  • any other source of funding that represents a potential competing interest.

The type of funding to be disclosed includes:

• • employment (e.g., salary)
  • consultancy,
  • honoraria
  • research or educational grants or contracts, 
  • ownership of stock shares or equity (not to include ownership of mutual funds that may include these stocks), 
  • paid expert testimony, 
  • patents,
  • receipt of product for research or educational purposes.

Policy for SRNT Members
While full disclosure is required of officers and committee members, all SRNT members are encouraged to provide this information whenever they are commenting on relevant matters on the Listserve, in the Newsletter, or in other Society communications. All members are required to declare their current employer or affiliation (or last employer, if retired or no longer employed) when applying or renewing SRNT membership.

All members must also sign the following statement:

I affirm that I support the goals of the Society to stimulate new knowledge concerning nicotine, to foster the exchange of scientific information on nicotine and tobacco dependence, and to encourage research on public health efforts for the prevention and treatment of cigarette smoking and tobacco use.

The following policies apply to members of the SRNT board, its staff, volunteers, and to members of committees authorized by the board. References in the policies to board members are intended also to apply to committee members.

1. Board and Committee Meetings: On any vote of the board, both the numbers of affirmative and negative votes and the individual votes of board members, unless specifically requested by a member otherwise, shall be confidential but the record of individual votes must be kept on file.
2. Board, committee, and staff members shall not disclose to anyone outside of SRNT the statements, positions, or votes by any board or committee member on actions taken by the board or its committees. Only in extraordinary situations will a board or committee member disclose his or her position or vote on a board or committee action, and only after advising the board’s chair before making such a disclosure.
3. The general “sense of the board” on a particular matter may be conveyed to an applicant, grantee, vendor, or donor when the sharing of such information is helpful in conveying the board’s concerns. However, such information should only be shared with the concerned party. In addition, such information may be shared with a donor or with another grantmaker when the information has been requested and is deemed important in helping the donor or grantmaker arrive at an informed decision on a grant proposal or opportunity.
4. Executive Sessions: The minutes of the board meeting shall indicate when the board goes into executive session but shall not normally reflect any of the topics or discussion that occurs in executive session. However, when the board takes an action in executive session that needs to be recorded, the board chair will provide any such text that is to be included in the official minutes of the meeting. 
5. Board and Program Committee Docket: The docket prepared for the board and staff is confidential and should be treated as an internal document restricted to SRNT use. No portion of the docket may be shared, in written or oral form, with any individual or with any organization outside of SRNT. Exceptions may be made only with the consent of the chief executive.
6. Personal Information on Staff and Board Members: The home addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of board, committee, and staff members are not to be given out to any individual or organization without the express permission of the person to be disclosed.
7. Information on a Donor’s Fund: All information concerning a donor’s fund, other than information published in the annual report, newsletter, or SRNT publication, shall remain confidential unless approved by the donor. This includes information on the size and types of grants, the size of the fund, and other such information.
8. Information on Donors and Prospects: All information obtained about donors and prospective donors will remain confidential and not discussed with any individual other than a board or staff member, unless otherwise authorized by the donor or prospective donor.
9. When a donor requests that his or her gift or fund be treated as an anonymous gift or fund, the donor’s wishes are to be honored by both board and staff members.
10. All staff members shall adhere to the principle that all donor and prospect information created by, or on behalf of, SRNT is the property of SRNT and shall not be transferred or utilized except on behalf of SRNT.

Introduction 

The mission of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco is to stimulate the generation and dissemination of new knowledge concerning nicotine in all its manifestations, from cellular to societal. The SRNT Board may accept external funds such as grants, sponsorships, or gifts in support of activities designed to support the organizational mission and strategic plan. This policy provides guidelines for the negotiation and acceptance of such funds, as well as regular disclosure to the membership of the sources and amounts of external funding accepted by SRNT. It provides guidance for all external funding relationships and is not limited to commercial relationships. External funds given in support of conferences and the Society’s journal are also covered by this policy. Final decisions on the interpretation of this policy as it is applied in practice are the responsibility of the SRNT Board. Individuals and groups who solicit funds on behalf of SRNT should be familiar with these guidelines. This policy has evolved from the original SRNT Policy on Receipt of Funds, which was approved in 2004.

Background

External funds may help SRNT pursue its mission in several ways. Examples include:

• • Improving the quality of SRNT conferences by allowing the Society to reimburse speakers, provide honoraria, furnish amenities, give scholarships and awards, provide lunch and refreshments to conference attendees, or offer general programming that might otherwise be unavailable; 
  • Helping SRNT undertake initiatives to promote research in lower-income countries; 
  • Developing new technologies and/or vehicles to deliver services/information/research to SRNT members 
  • Translating and disseminating evidence-based research to groups outside the broader scientific community, such as clinicians and tobacco control advocates; and 
  • Helping SRNT provide services of value to members that advance the goals of the society, such as the SRNT website, journal, Network-specific projects, email, and listserv. 

In short, external funds potentially allow SRNT to pursue worthwhile activities that it might otherwise have to forgo.

SRNT adopts a similar policy on donations, grants and contracts to other scientific societies in the medical sphere. It welcomes donations from appropriate private as well as commercial and public organizations and agencies in the form of grants that are not tied to any particular activity and to fund specific activities that are congruent with the goals of the society. It recognizes that commercial and public funding has the potential to distort the scientific process and takes specific steps to minimize this risk.

Financial relationships with external funders may create potential ethical conflicts for SRNT, as they would for any other not-for-profit institution organized to pursue a worthy mission and to promote a noble set of values. Financial relationships with external funders can raise ethical questions about whether these relationships might result in decision-making that deviates from the organization’s mission and values. Such deviations may be very subtle. Two common sources of such biased decision-making are situations of dependency and conflicts of interest. Excessive dependency on external sources of funding may influence an organization to make decisions that deviate from its mission and values in order to obtain or sustain financial support. The search for support may lead to deviation in favor of the interests of the funder, or it may become a substantial activity in its own right that detracts from the organization’s focus on its core mission and values. Conflicts of interest are another source of potential concern. Conflicts of obligation are common, but a conflict of obligation becomes an actual conflict of interest when the funding source actually influences or gives the appearance of influencing an organization to make decisions that deviate from its mission and values in favor those of the funder. Conflicts of interest can arise for individual members who exercise decision-making authority within an organization, for committees or other groups charged with carrying out specific roles (such as the Program Committee), or for the organization as a whole. Concerns about dependency and conflict of interest are particularly acute in two situations: when external funding is from organizations with interests that differ substantially from those of the recipient (either for-profit or not-for-profit entities); and when the amount of external funding, particularly from a single source, is of such magnitude that it will be difficult to carry out a valued activity in the absence of external funding. The more valued the activity is, and the greater the understanding that continuing that activity in perpetuity is important to the organization (which is especially the case when that activity expresses its core values), the greater the concern.

With these observations of the benefits and risks of external funding in mind, SRNT has established the following guidelines for the acceptance of external funds.

GUIDELINES FOR ACCEPTANCE OF EXTERNAL FUNDS

Projects in General. SRNT should accept external funds only for high quality projects that are:

• • consistent with the SRNT mission and strategic plan; and/or
  • judged to be particularly well suited to be carried out by SRNT as an organization (especially in contradistinction to individual Society members or groups of members working through their own institutions), especially if SRNT is to be the primary recipient of external funds for the proposed project. 

The Board acknowledges that there will be subjectivity in decisions regarding which projects are particularly well suited to be carried out by SRNT (particularly as primary recipient of external funding). In general, projects for which SRNT is particularly well suited create the opportunity for participation of large numbers of members in ways that would be difficult or impossible to arrange through standard mechanisms of funding to members’ organizations and institutions. When more than one SRNT member independently approaches the Board regarding obtaining funding for a project of a similar nature, and particularly when SRNT’s participation would be mutually exclusive, every effort should be made to foster collaboration among the interested individuals so that a single project proposal results. If, despite these efforts, more than one proposal is submitted for a similar project, and SRNT’s participation is mutually exclusive, these projects would be reviewed in parallel.

In addition, SRNT should not accept external funds, either directly or indirectly as a subcontractor to another entity, from for-profit companies (or not-for-profit entities funded largely by for-profit companies) for research or any scientific content published in the journal or special issues of the journal; research or any scientific content presented in paper, poster, symposia, pre-conference workshops, or other sessions offered as part of the SRNT annual meeting; or research or any scientific content delivered remotely via the internet or smart-phone technology. Such funding is problematic, as the intent would appear to be primarily promotional; that is, to directly or indirectly (through greater recognition of the disease in the population) encourage wider use of products/concepts/ideas, to the benefit of the sponsor. These potential benefits and thus the sponsor’s intent might not always be readily apparent, due to relationships among companies and new products that might be in their pipelines. However, general meeting support (as opposed to support for specific sessions) for the annual or regional meetings can be solicited from for-profit companies once the primary program has been defined. Financial support from any single for-profit funder should not exceed the amount budgeted for food and beverage for the event in question.

In addition, because of the longstanding misuse of science by tobacco companies and the incompatibility of goals between the perpetuation of a commercial market for tobacco products and the reduction of morbidity and mortality related to tobacco, SRNT will not accept funds from any organization that manufactures, distributes or markets tobacco products, or their affiliated corporations. Other organizations that are committed to the mission and goals of SRNT and to basic scientific principles can show their support for the Society through grants or gifts supporting the operations, the publications or the annual meeting of the Society. SRNT reserves the right to refuse or return any grant or gift if it determines that the receipt of the grant is inconsistent with the goals of the Society, or if the grantor has been determined to be operating inconsistently within the bounds of good science.

Finally, dependence is potentially created when SRNT’s core operations become too reliant on external funding. External funds that “pass through” SGIM to other individuals and groups for the accomplishment of specific projects or for awards do not create dependence, nor do funds that are saved by SRNT for future disbursement for these purposes. An exception would be external funds for payment of travel expenses for SRNT members to speak at regional or national meetings, or trainee travel awards, which do have the potential of creating dependence – as long as those expenses and/or awards are completely unrelated to the nature of business undertaken by the funder of said activities. The SGIM operating budget best reflects expenses for core activities; it is the proportion of external funds that comprise the operating budget that, if too high, raise concerns about dependence. In this context, “internal” funds are considered revenues from dues, conference registrations, publications (including subscriptions and royalties from the journal), sales of products and services to members, and member donations. “External” funds are revenues from all other sources. External funds used specifically for the Society’s operations and included in the annual operating budget should not comprise more than 33% of the Society’s annual operating budget. In addition, the following limits apply to external funds from various sources: no more than 15% of the operating budget from any single not-for-profit entity; and no more than 15% of the operating budget from any single for-profit entity.

These limits will also apply to the operating budgets of individual SRNT chapters (which generally will be dominated by the costs of regional meetings).

As the percentage of the operating budget provided by any external funder or class of funders cannot be calculated until the end of a fiscal year, percentages may unintentionally exceed the specified limits by small amounts on occasion. In these circumstances, any excess funds accepted beyond the limits in this policy must be transferred to one of SRNT’s restricted funds, such as awards or international.

To allow SRNT to conduct more ambitious projects, external funds for a specific project from external entities may also be placed in a restricted account for use only for project-specific expenses (overhead on the project funds would be considered part of the annual operating budget and, therefore, be subject to restrictions in this policy). Once placed in such a board-designated restricted fund, any funds cannot be brought back into the SRNT operating budget or be used for other purposes. If any funds are left in the account once the project is completed, and the external funder approves, those funds can only be transferred into another SRNT restricted fund for a specific purpose. External funds that are placed in such a restricted fund and are used for project-specific and not core expenses reduce the risk of dependence and therefore do not count toward this policy’s funding limits.

Furthermore:

1. In addition to being transparent and acknowledged publicly, all contributions/gifts are subject to audit.
2. Acceptance of a gift or grant by SRNT shall not imply endorsement of the products, policies or programs of the grantor and no grantor shall use the evidence of a grant to imply otherwise. 
3. No restriction shall be placed on a grant or award except that which is necessary to satisfy the mission of the granting organization (e.g., regional focus, mandate for training, etc.) and which comports with the desired uses of the funds by SRNT, e.g., funding scholarships, supporting the journal, etc. In no case shall any restriction serve to influence the selection or content of society-sponsored publications or meetings, and in all cases the restrictions shall be fully disclosed.
4. No SRNT member shall solicit grants or gifts from a private entity with whom the member has a financial interest, if the member would receive benefit from SRNT’s acceptance of the grant or gift.
5. SRNT does not practice “quid pro quo.” Neither the Board, nor any Network or committee or other group of members, nor staff will give preferential treatment or undue consideration to any external funder or its representative(s). 

Educational Projects/Annual Meeting

SRNT must retain ultimate control over educational content, selection of speakers, review of educational materials, peer review and selection of research for presentation, or other public activities with scientific content that are financed with external funds. Regardless of funding sources, SRNT will maintain the highest scientific standards, with absolutely no preferential consideration being given to external funders who submit abstracts for presentation. Pre-conference workshops, or other educational presentations at the annual or regional meeting, or web-based training, are considered educational projects from the perspective of this policy. When external funding is solicited for national or regional meetings, the meeting program should be determined before funding is solicited, to ensure the independence of meeting program planning from the interests of external funders.

Grant support for select portions of the annual meeting, such as meals, printing services, etc., shall be accepted if consistent with the remaining principles; otherwise, all grant support provided for the conference shall be considered unrestricted. Entities providing such support may disclose this support through the use of corporate logos, announcements and placards but not specific product advertisements. To avoid implication that SRNT endorses the corporate entity or its products, logos from for-profit entities shall not appear proximally to the SRNT logo, e.g. on the same tote bag, but might do so in conference materials where the link between SRNT and the organization is prominently and explicitly stated. Similarly, sponsors shall not use SRNT’s name in promotional materials, e.g. “Sponsor of the SRNT Annual Meeting.” Governmental and not for-profit entities, except where they are promoting a specific product or service, are not subject to the restrictions on logos or use of names. External funding of ancillary meetings (i.e. meetings hosted by external organizations in conjunction with an SRNT conference) is not subject to the restrictions in this guideline as long as the source of funding is publicly disclosed.

Participation at the Annual Meeting as an exhibitor shall not imply endorsement of the products, policies or programs of the exhibitor. SRNT reserves the right to refuse any exhibitor to the annual meeting. The charge to exhibitors shall not comprise a significant proportion of the budget for SRNT, such that the rejection of any exhibitors or exhibitors would render a financial hardship upon the Society.

Research Projects
SRNT will retain control of the selection of project personnel and other activities for the conduct of research activities for which the Society accepts external funding.

Freedom to Publish Results
The proponents of any externally funded research or educational project involving SRNT shall have the right to publish their findings without interference from the external funder. Only nonbinding, expeditious review and comment on written results by the external funder is acceptable. 

Intellectual Property
When SRNT serves as the primary entity accepting external funds for a research or educational project, SRNT reserves the right to all intellectual properties resulting from the project. When SRNT collaborates with another entity that is the primary recipient of funds for the project, that entity, usually the project proponent’s academic institution, will generally have the right to all intellectual properties resulting from the project. In the latter case, an agreement regarding intellectual property must be documented in writing between the concerned institutions and SRNT and approved by the Board.

Budgets
When externally funded research or educational projects require using SRNT resources at the national office, a budget for those activities should be negotiated between the Executive Director and the SRNT members responsible for the project to cover the direct costs of SRNT’s participation. In general, to cover SGIM’s indirect costs, an additional percentage reflecting the Society’s overhead costs (not to exceed 30%) will be added to the budgeted direct costs (but not to other funds that “pass through” SRNT to other parties for completion of the project). The final budget for each project, including any deviations from the usual overhead rate, must be approved by the SRNT President. External funds for awards, which reflect acknowledgment for completed work or funding for new work or activities to be done independently of SRNT, and which require minimal use of resources at the SRNT central office, as judged by the Executive Director, do not require a specific budget. Rather, a reduced overhead rate of 10% will be added to the total amount of the award to account for the Society’s costs for administrating the award. External Funds solicited for such awards will be kept in restricted accounts that cannot be used for other purposes (especially operations). Only when funds are disbursed for an award will the Society’s overhead be applied to the disbursed amount, and the amount of the overhead be included in the numerator of the calculation of the proportion of the operating budget derived from external funding in that year.

Projects with an Internal Selection Process
When SRNT accepts external funds for research or educational projects that involve a competitive selection process with submitted proposals, the external funder can have limited input in the selection criteria for which proposals will receive funding, and will receive information about which proposals did and did not receive funding. However, final funding decisions will be made by a group designated by SRNT, independent from the external funder. This group may include both SRNT and non-SRNT members.

Awards
When SRNT accepts external funds for awards, which reflect acknowledgment for work already completed, awardees will be selected based on criteria established by SRNT. The sponsor may have limited input in the selection criteria but SRNT retains ultimate control over selection of the award recipient. The sponsor can impose no obligations on the recipient of an award.

Access to SRNT Members
Access to SRNT members or to recipients of external funds shall not be a condition of support from an external funder, including access through talks by representatives of the external funder at regional or national meetings.

Disclosure
SRNT should disclose all sponsored activities that are partially or completely financed by external funds, including but not limited to research grants, presentations and publications, and support of policy efforts (see subsequent section of procedures for disclosure).

Business Relationships
SRNT may establish a business relationship with an individual, group, or organization to endorse, develop, distribute, or sell products or services; for example, journals, books, software, or other educational products. However, acceptance of any funds that come to SRNT from these relationships will be governed by these guidelines for external funding of projects. For example, SRNT shall not receive funding to endorse, develop, distribute, or sell products such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, or other products purported to have a direct impact on nicotine/tobacco reduction. In addition, SRNT shall not enter business relationships with companies that make or sell tobacco products, including other companies owned by tobacco companies, or their parent companies.

Acknowledgments
Tasteful acknowledgment of external funders may be made in the Society’s publications, meeting materials, online, or in reports of project results, as appropriate. These acknowledgments should not advertise any products or services of the funder. Ultimate decisions about the tastefulness and appropriateness of any acknowledgments of external funding rests with the SRNT Board.

Advertising
The Journal of General Internal Medicine does not accept advertisements for treatment-related products and services. Final judgment regarding the appropriateness and acceptability of advertisements rests with the Journal’s editorial staff. Advertising (except for classified advertising of positions available and announcements) will not be accepted for the Society’s newsletter, website or any other publications.

Exceptions
Because the opportunities for external funding for valuable projects are varied and to some extent unpredictable, exceptions to these guidelines may be appropriate in some circumstances. Any exceptions, however, must be approved by the Board of Directors. As circumstances may also change over time, this policy should be reviewed at least every three years by Council and amended if necessary.

PROCEDURES FOR REVIEWING EXTERNAL FUNDING

• • All SRNT members, staff, or consultants involved in negotiations with external funders should be familiar with this policy. The initiation of the approval process should begin early in any quest for external funding, ideally when an SRNT member or group of members first conceives of a project requiring SRNT’s participation and external funding, or when an SRNT member or group of members is first approached by an external funder about a potential project requiring SRNT’s participation. 
  • General contributions, including contributions for the national meeting and for awards, will be handled directly by staff, with support as needed provided by the Board and/or the Development Committee. However, any contribution that raises concerns will undergo a full Board review.
  • Proposals for research or educational projects requiring external funding and for which the applicant(s) request SRNT’s involvement should come from an SRNT member or groups of members (with one member designated as the main point of contact). 
  • At minimum, proposals for research or educational projects should include a standard cover page and abstract describing the project’s objectives, methodology, timetable, the estimated budget and proposed source of external funding, and how it satisfies the SRNT guidelines for the acceptance of external funds. A biographical sketch of each key participant should be included. Additional supporting materials may be included. 
  • Proposals for research or educational projects should be submitted to the SRNT Executive Director, who will forward them to the SRNT President for review. Based on subject matter, the President may delegate review to a member or topical Network. The President or his/her designee will preliminarily review the proposal (in consultation with the Executive Director), focusing on compliance with the external funding guidelines and feasibility of the project, and either reject the proposal, return the proposal to the applicant(s) for revision, or forward the proposal along for a full review. Full review would be undertaken by the Board. Reviewers would be asked to declare any potential conflicts of interest in their evaluation of assigned proposals; occasionally, such a declaration may lead the President to replace a reviewer. 
  • Projects approved to move forward by both the Executive Director and President would then be reviewed by the SRNT Treasurer, particularly regarding whether the new funding would bring the total amount of external funding above acceptable thresholds for the year, and forwarded to the Board for final approval. The goal of the entire review process should be to accept or reject proposals within 60 days of submission. 
  • SRNT acknowledges that occasionally opportunities for externally funded research or educational projects may be time-limited. If a decision on SRNT’s participation must be made in less than 60 days, a letter requesting an expedited review can accompany the proposal. Decisions regarding the desirability, practicality, and mechanisms of an expedited review will be made by the Executive Director, in consultation with the President. 
  • If a proposal is not recommended for further consideration at any stage of the process, the proponents may appeal the decision in writing to the Board. The Board may confirm or override the original decision; in the latter case, the proposal would proceed to (but not circumvent) the next step in the review process. 

PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF EXTERNAL FUNDING

• • When external funding supports presentations or awards at regional or annual meetings, the program for the meeting should indicate the sources and nature of external support. Speakers should disclose all sources of external funding and whether they have any personal financial interest in the subject matter of the presentation. 
  • All externally funded research and educational projects will be posted on the SRNT website. 

SRNT welcomes views from stakeholders or other interested parties about potential breeches of its COI policies or ways in which these can be improved. It expects that those individuals or organizations expressing such view would adhere themselves to a policy of full disclosure or commercial and non-commercial interests.

General
SRNT’s Code of Ethics (“Code”) requires directors, officers, and employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. As representatives of the organization, we must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Reporting Responsibility
It is the responsibility of all directors, officers, and staff to comply with the Code and to report violations or suspected violations in accordance with this Whistleblower Policy.

No Retaliation
No director, officer, or staff member who in good faith reports a violation of the Code shall suffer harassment, retaliation, or adverse employment consequence. A staff member who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith will be reported to the President/CEO of the management company. This Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable staff and others to raise serious concerns within the organization prior to seeking resolution outside the organization.

Reporting Violations
Staff members are directed to share their questions, concerns, suggestions, or complaints with someone who can address them properly. In most cases, a staff member’s supervisor is in the best position to address an area of concern. However, if someone is not comfortable speaking with his or her supervisor or they are not satisfied with the supervisor’s response, staff are encouraged to speak with anyone in management. For suspected fraud, or when staff is not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the organization’s open-door policy, individuals should contact the Secretary/Treasurer of the Board.

Accounting and Auditing Matters
The Finance Committee will address all reported concerns or complaints regarding corporate accounting practices, internal controls, or auditing. The Executive Director will immediately notify the Finance Committee of any such complaint and work with the committee until the matter is resolved.

Acting in Good Faith
Anyone filing a complaint concerning a violation or suspected violation of the Code must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation of the Code. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

Confidentiality
Violations or suspected violations may be submitted on a confidential basis by the complainant or may be submitted anonymously. Reports of violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.

Handling of Reported Violations
The Executive Director (or the Secretary/Treasurer) will notify the sender and acknowledge receipt of the reported violation or suspected violation within 2 business days. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted by the investigation.

SRNT takes seriously its obligations to preserve information relating to litigation, audits, and investigations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act makes it a crime to alter, cover up, falsify, or destroy any document to prevent its use in an official proceeding. Failure on the part of employees to follow this policy can result in possible civil and criminal sanctions against SRNT and its employees of its management company and possible disciplinary action against responsible individuals (up to and including termination of employment). Each employee has an obligation to contact the Executive Director or Secretary/Treasurer of a potential or actual litigation, external audit, investigation, or similar proceeding involving SRNT. The information listed in the retention schedule below is intended as a guideline and may not contain all the records SRNT may be required to keep in the future. Questions regarding the retention of documents not listed in this chart should be directed to the Executive Director. 

From time to time, the Executive Director may issue a notice, known as a “legal hold,” suspending the destruction of records due to pending, threatened, or otherwise reasonably foreseeable litigation, audits, government investigations, or similar proceedings. No records specified in any legal hold may be destroyed, even if the scheduled destruction date has passed, until the legal hold is withdrawn in writing by the chief executive.

SRNT will save all historical documents not listed in the table, below.

The Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (“SRNT”) retains and reserves the sole and unfettered right to determine its membership. Membership may be denied, conditioned, or limited for any reason, or for no reason, and in SRNT’s sole discretion. Membership likewise may be terminated at any time, and criteria for membership or participation in SRNT events may and will change, with or without notice. Membership may also be limited such that persons may be allowed only certain membership privileges or defined scope of participation in SRNT events or publications.

Without limiting the foregoing, and by way of example, SRNT has determined that it may deny or limit membership to individuals who are employed part- or full-time by an entity that is part of the tobacco industry, or an entity that is partially or wholly owned by an entity that is part of the tobacco industry, and SRNT has placed restrictions on the manner in which tobacco industry employees or consultants may participate in SRNT’s annual meeting or programs. All such policies are subject to change at any time, as noted above. SRNT reserves all rights regarding its members and membership, including without limitation all rights to make membership determinations, or to establish membership or participation criteria SRNT determines, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate or in the best interests of its membership.

Background

Since 2008, SRNT has neither promoted, developed, nor endorsed Treatment Guidelines. This unofficial policy was predicated on the advice of SRNT’s legal counsel, which highlighted the potential legal liability of SRNT’s role in promoting a given set of treatment guidelines that might result in the death of an individual, or some other catastrophic outcome.

In such a case, SRNT could easily be forced into bankruptcy as a result of paying legal fees defending its position, not to mention any damages should the litigation go against SRNT.

A key point made by counsel is that although SRNT has members who engage in treatment of nicotine addiction, SRNT, itself, is not a treatment organization; rather, it is a research organization. Entering into the arena of promoting/developing/endorsing Treatment Guidelines may be seen as being outside of SRNT’s research remit, thus further exposing the Society to liability and potential litigation.

In March of 2021, SRNT’s legal counsel attended a Board meeting and discussed the liability issues, noting that some instances of endorsing treatment guidelines were inherently less risky, while others may be more so.

Therefore, the Board made the decision to open the door to consideration of endorsing Treatment Guidelines in the future. The primary consideration is the potential risk to the Society in the form of litigation based on SRNT’s support of guidelines that result in the death of an individual or some other catastrophic response to the guidelines as carried out.

This policy is intended to address questions about when the Society will and will not consider endorsing guidelines developed by other organizations.

Consideration of Risk

1. The Board should consider the inherent risk to SRNT, both financial and to its reputation, when considering whether or not to endorse treatment guidelines.

a. The financial risk relates directly to legal liability and the potential for SRNT to be sued.

b. Guidelines that are A) controversial or B) written specifically for the general public are inherently higher on the scale of risk and should be avoided.

c. Guidelines that, like a scientific review, bring together generally accepted treatment recommendations, and which are essentially repackaged for a medical or other professional, non-public group, fall lower on the scale of risk.

d. Guidelines involving a more complex, lengthy process, including development of new recommendations based on information not available at the time of previous treatment guidelines development, fall higher on the scale of risk. In other words, guidelines based on the “tried and true” are less risky while “new and innovative” recommendations are riskier and come with an increased potential for litigation.

e. If the Board is unsure about the level of risk or the potential for litigation, SRNT’s legal counsel should be consulted prior to any final decisions are made.

Endorsing Treatment Guidelines

SRNT will consider endorsing a set of Treatment Guidelines if all of the following are met:

1. The guidelines are based on strong, empirical scientific evidence.
2. The organization developing guidelines is not only well known and respected in the field, it is one that SRNT is comfortable working with.
3. The process for development of the guidelines is rigorous and includes peer review. Any processes should be clearly documented for the purpose of Board review.
4. Any medication(s) recommended must be widely available, must not include black box warnings, and must be appropriately regulated. If a particular set of guidelines includes a medication not regulated by the FDA, but which is widely used in other parts of the world, the Board may still consider endorsement; however, the fact that a particular pharmaceutical treatment is not FDA-approved should be noted in the guidelines.
5. Any behavioral interventions recommended in the guidelines are widely accepted.
6. The SRNT Board is willing to stand behind the guidelines in their entirety. “Endorsement” implies SRNT’s role to be passive rather than active. Therefore, if SRNT is not directly involved in development of the guidelines, with little or no say in their final form, SRNT must be comfortable with everything included in the guidelines in order to formally endorse.

NOTE: If the Board agrees to consider endorsement in the early stages of treatment guidelines development, the Board is not automatically committed to their endorsement. The Board must have the freedom to decline endorsement upon final review, based on the policy guidelines, above.

SRNT will not endorse Treatment Guidelines if any of the following exist:

1. The organization developing the guidelines is not one that SRNT is comfortable working with, for whatever reason.
2. The guidelines were not developed with scientific rigor, and do not appear to have been adequately vetted before finalization.
3. Pharmaceutical or behavioral treatments recommended are not consistent with those that are widely accepted and supported in the research and treatment communities.
4. The guidelines contain recommendations that the Board is not comfortable supporting; in an ‘all or nothing’ situation, ‘nothing’ would be the outcome.
5. The inherent risk of legal liability is greater than “low.” If greater than “low,” the benefit of co-sponsoring the guidelines must clearly, demonstrably outweigh the risk.

Please review the 1.13 Policy on Financial COI as Related to NIH R13 Grants here. 

General

In its 2022 Final Report, the Racial Equity Task Force (RETF) made the following recommendation:

“Prohibit commercial tobacco-industry funded research from being presented at SRNT due to the inherent conflicts of interest with health as well as its racist history and continuous practices in targeting racial/ethnic minority populations.”

Current Board policy already bans employees of the commercial tobacco industry and its wholly or partially owned subsidiaries, including shared intellectual property, from participating in SRNT activities, including submission of research for presentation/publication in SRNT educational activities and journal. This new policy supplements the current policy by excluding research funded by the commercial tobacco industry, regardless of who conducts the research.

Policy
Effective immediately, SRNT does not accept research that has received any commercial tobacco industry funding. This applies to the SRNT Annual Meeting and the SRNT Journal, Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Any such research will be rejected upon receipt and will not be subjected to the peer review process.

For the purpose of this and any commercial tobacco industry-related policies, SRNT defines the commercial tobacco industry as companies that manufacture, distribute, advertise, or sell commercial tobacco products (combustible cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, etc.) and their wholly or partially owned subsidiaries, including companies with whom a commercial tobacco manufacturer shares intellectual property.

Sacred, ceremonial, or traditional tobacco is distinct from commercial tobacco and are not included in this policy.

Final approval by the SRNT Board, April 2024