Tobacco wars

Few biochemists get to see themselves portrayed in an Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie starring Al Pacino. But then, how many blow the whistle on an industry as powerful as Big Tobacco? Jeffrey Wigand is one of the few. This former head of research at Brown & Williamson revealed on prime-time television that his former employers always knew that cigarettes are addictive and that smoking can kill. In so doing, he gave those seeking compensation what they sorely needed: the testimony of an insider. The Insider, due to open in Britain next week, has Wigand’s character receiving threats against his children, finding a bullet in his…