WASHINGTON, D.C. | July 17, 2024 – On July 30, Dr. Jeffrey Wigand will be a speaker at the National Whistleblower Day 2024 celebration held on Capitol Hill. Prior to the event, Dr. Wigand will receive the first-ever National Whistleblower Center Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Dr. Wigand saved millions of lives with his courageous, truth-telling, whistleblowing. His story exemplifies the tremendous impact whistleblowers have, as well as the immense sacrifices they make,” said Stephen M. Kohn, Chairman of the Board of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC). “We are honored that Dr. Wigand will be in attendance at the National Whistleblower Day celebration and that he will be accepting our first-lifetime achievement award prior to the event.”
Dr. Wigand, the former Vice President of Research & Development at Brown and Williamson, a major tobacco company, became a pivotal figure in exposing the tobacco industry’s practices. He courageously blew the whistle on their deliberate tactics of concealing the truth, manipulating research, and engineering cigarettes to addict users swiftly and maintain addiction.
The industry, utilizing over 600 chemical additives including ammonia, aimed to intensify the impact of nicotine in tobacco smoke. Despite the National Toxicology Program classifying coumarin as carcinogenic, the company refused to eliminate it due to potential sales repercussions.
Dr. Wigand’s revelations marked a turning point as he emerged as the highest-ranking former executive to address public health and smoking concerns. His pivotal testimony played a crucial role in state attorneys general litigation, leading to a historic settlement exceeding $206 billion, as well as in the Department of Justice’s RICO litigation against the tobacco industry.
In addition to his public testimony, Dr. Wigand covertly collaborated with the FDA, sharing insights on genetic engineering techniques used to augment nicotine levels in raw materials, manipulate cigarette design, and enhance addictiveness through additives.
In 1996, 60 Minutes broadcast a bombshell interview with Dr. Wigand which brought national attention to the dangers of cigarettes and the misconduct of Big Tobacco companies. The story of Dr. Wigand’s whistleblowing was retold in the 1999 film The Insider.
Dr. Wigand will give remarks during the National Whistleblower Day celebration and will be introduced by Senator Ron Wyden, co-chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus.
Other speakers at National Whistleblower Day include whistleblowers raising concerns about climate change, law enforcement, and airline safety, members of Congress and government officials including Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, and leading whistleblower attorneys and advocates.
For more information on National Whistleblower Day 2024, including how to attend, visit: https://www.whistleblowers.org/national-whistleblower-day-2024/
NWC Executive Director Siri Turner is available for comment. For more information, contact NWC at info@whistleblowers.org.
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NWC is the leading nonprofit working with whistleblowers worldwide to fight corruption and protect people and the environment. For over 30 years, NWC has won policies to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and reward them for helping deliver criminal and civil penalties against wrongdoers.
