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Philip Morris to stop selling cigarettes in the UK by 2030

2021-07-27T00:18:41.801Z


Tobacco company Philip Morris is looking for cigarette alternatives and calls on UK authorities to ban their sale by 2030.


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London (CNN Business) -

Philip Morris International says it will stop selling Marlboro cigarettes in the UK no later than the next decade, while calling on the government to ban the sale of its tobacco products.


The statements come amid a decline in the number of smokers in the UK, where cigarettes have been sold in plain packaging since 2016, and a broader push by the UK government to reduce the prevalence of smoking.

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Many investors have already removed tobacco from their portfolios, and a growing number of financial institutions have committed to implementing tobacco-free policies.

Philip Morris International CEO Jacek Olczak told the

Sunday Telegraph

that the UK government should treat cigarettes like petrol cars, the sale of which will be banned from 2030.

The company added in a statement Monday that it "can see a world without cigarettes."

"The sooner it happens, the better it will be for everyone," said Vice President for Strategic and Scientific Communications Moira Gilchrist.

"With the right measures, [Philip Morris] can stop selling cigarettes in the UK within 10 years," he added.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking, including passive smoke inhalation, kills more than 8 million people each year.

This figure compares with the nearly 4.1 million deaths recorded to date from covid-19.

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Philip Morris International, spun off in 2008 from Altria, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has invested $ 8 billion and hired dozens of scientists and technicians to develop lower-risk alternatives to cigarettes, including its flagship product IQOS, that heats tobacco instead of burning it.

"Quitting smoking is the best option, but for those who do not want it, science and technology have allowed companies like ours to create better alternatives to continue smoking," said Gilchrist.

The company wants to generate more than 50% of net revenue from smokeless products within four years, compared to 25% today.

Earlier this month, Phillip Morris International announced that it had struck a $ 1.2 billion deal to buy British asthma inhaler maker Vectura.

The tobacco company said in a statement that the operation was part of its "Beyond Nicotine" strategy.

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Anti-smoking activists on Monday expressed skepticism about the company's plans.

Critics have long questioned the tobacco industry's commitment to change, given its past use of propaganda to protect its interests.

"Philip Morris has been claiming for years that he wants to see an end to smoking, but how can such claims of a company that sells more than one in ten cigarettes smoked in the world be taken seriously?" He said in a statement Monday in a statement. Deborah Arnott, CEO of the British public health charity Action on Smoking and Health.

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Arnott added that "good words" are not the solution and that companies like Philip Morris should fund government-backed campaigns to discourage tobacco use and help smokers quit.

The UK government announced its ambition in 2019 to end smoking in England by 2030. Last year it unveiled its 'Smoke-free 2030 Roadmap', which includes a proposal to oblige tobacco manufacturers to finance support for smokers to quit.

--Lauren Gunn contributed reporting.

Cigarettes

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-07-27

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