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Tobacco firm Philip Morris calls for ban on cigarettes within decade:
The chief executive of tobacco business Philip Morris International has called on the UK government to ban cigarettes within a decade, in a move that would outlaw its own Marlboro brand.
Jacek Olczak said the company could “see the world without cigarettes … and actually, the sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone.” Cigarettes should be treated like petrol cars, the sale of which is due to be banned from 2030, he said.
Government action would end the confusion felt by smokers, some of whom still thought the “alternatives are worse than cigarettes”, Olczak told the Sunday Telegraph. “Give them a choice of smoke-free alternatives … with the right regulation and information it can happen 10 years from now in some countries. You can solve the problem once and forever.”
Philip Morris International (PMI) recently said it wanted half its turnover to come from non-smoking products as it morphs into a “healthcare and wellness company” with executive pay tied to its new mission to “unsmoke the world” by phasing out cigarettes.
Nonetheless the company has come under fire from anti-smoking campaigners who accused it of hypocrisy after it launched a £1bn takeover bid for Vectura, a British pharmacy company that makes asthma inhalers.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by hendrikboom on Monday July 26 2021, @10:00PM (2 children)
If the price of tobacco skyrockets, vaping will be a cheaper alternative. Market prices will deal with the tobacco black market.
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Tuesday July 27 2021, @03:49AM (1 child)
Except that vaping is already in the legal crosshairs as well. There've been calls to ban e-cig products and US states have passed bans against 'flavored' vape juice.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday July 27 2021, @10:56AM
And it appears that some, but not all, of the solvents used in vaping fluids have nasty side effects of their own. It's time for regulation, not banning.