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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: 5, Insightful) by Immerman on Monday July 26 2021, @10:39PM (6 children)
True, nicotine isn't nearly as serious a health problem on its own (though inhaling pesticides still isn't great for you, even if it is all natural)
However, there's still some serious moral issues surrounding the advertising of highly addictive substances. And non-plain packaging is unquestionably a form of advertising, while nicotine's addictiveness is right up there with heroin, etc.
Personally, I'd say don't single out nicotine - instead we should ban all advertising, including fancy packaging, for anything containing large amounts of "significantly addictive" substances. With individual substances being subject to such classification based on the evidence. Personally I'd say alcohol, caffeine, and possibly even large quantities of sugar (or other sweeteners) would qualify. Nothing inherently wrong with any of them, but using the advanced psychological manipulation that advertising has become in order to lure people into getting (more) addicted is not something we should condone as a society.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday July 26 2021, @11:17PM
I quite agree.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Monday July 26 2021, @11:33PM
Nicotine delivered to developing brains is actually a very serious health problem, unless you're the company selling the nicotine delivery systems.
Addiction is enough of a problem without scientifically optimizing it for maximal effect.
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(Score: 2) by MIRV888 on Tuesday July 27 2021, @12:50AM (1 child)
Raw sugar already has the blandest packaging that ever blanded.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday July 27 2021, @01:50PM
True. However, most candy has only a slightly lower sugar concentration, and the packaging is anything but plain.
Even cookies, cakes, etc. typically have sugar concentrations far in excess of the fruit a properly calibrated sweet tooth evolved to encourage us to eat, with none of the redeeming nutritional value. As do sodas and even fruit juices (which are typically no less sugary, and only very minimally more nutritious)
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday July 27 2021, @01:23AM
Like... food?
Look, your mother hooked you into eating from the very first day after birth and you can't stop it to this very day. Have you tried? The withdrawal symptoms are horrendous and you will die if you prolong your attempt to get free from your addiction to food. (large grin)
We humans are sacks of chemicals... [xkcd.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Tuesday July 27 2021, @04:07AM
A friend worked in her church's program to help substance abusers recover.
She said she'd talked to people who'd beaten heroin or cocaine as well as tobacco, who kept telling her that tobacco was the hardest.