One of the largest tobacco groups in the world is in favor of a ban on the sale of cigarettes, a shame! And yet, the CEO of Philip Morris has indeed recently affirmed this desire in a British newspaper.
With the China National Tobacco Corporation, Philip Morris (Altria Group) is one of the largest cigarette manufacturers in the world. In an article in the British newspaper The Telegraph published on July 24, 2021, its CEO Jacek Olczak appealed to the UK government. The person simply advocated a ban on the sale of cigarettes ten years from now.
During his interview, Jacek Olczak made a few sentences that may surprise you. In particular, he said that we can now envision a world without cigarettes and the sooner the better. The CEO of Philip Morris even drew a parallel with the British government's decision to ban sales of thermal cars for 2030.
The interested party believes that a similar decision regarding cigarettes could put an end to some confusion among consumers. According to him, smokers believe that alternatives to tobacco are even more harmful to health.
Moira Gilchrist – vice president of science communication at Philip Morris – was also asked to speak. The latter recalled thatthe best choice is simply to quit smoking. Where appropriate, the aim is to steer consumers “towards healthier alternatives” . This is an allusion to IQOS, a product that Philip Morris presents as an alternative to cigarettes. The device in question uses heated tobacco, preventing the smoker from suffering the harmful effects of combustion.
Products without smoke but also without nicotine, here is the new credo of the manufacturer. Philip Morris aims to make 50% of its profits by 2050 by marketing such products. Recall that in June 2021, the group acquired Fertin Pharma, a manufacturer of nicotine gum and Vectura, a biotech company whose flagship products are drugs against respiratory diseases.
The only thing is that Philip Morris' communication is not to everyone's taste. In an article published by the BBC on July 28, a certain Deborah Arnott stepped up to the plate. The director general of the NGO Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) questioned the credibility of the statements of a group selling one in ten cigarettes smoked in the world . Forest, an association of smokers also reacted in a July 26 press release. According to officials, this is a "race to imbecility" whose only effect will be to push consumers towards contraband products sold by criminal groups.
