Philip Morris Ltd UK Managing Director Peter Nixon has also
written to Prime Minister Theresa May outlining how the company
believes they can play a part in helping Britain to go smoke free.
He said: “We believe we have an important role to play in helping
the UK become smoke-free. The commitments announced today
are practical steps that could accelerate that goal.
“We recognise that never starting to smoke - or quitting altogether
- are always the best option. But for those who continue to smoke,
there are more alternatives than ever available in the UK.”
The advertisement also encourages adult smokers to visit a
new website – www.smokefreefuture.co.uk – which contains
information on quitting smoking and on switching to better options.
The SmokeFreeFuture website, says: “Our aim is to replace
cigarettes with smoke-free products that are a better choice than
continuing to smoke.
“Smoking causes serious disease and is addictive. The best
decision for health is not to start, or to quit altogether.
“At Philip Morris Ltd, our goal is to replace cigarettes with smoke-
free products that are a better choice than continuing to smoke.
We want that to happen as soon as possible. But there is no
substitute for quitting completely and for good.
There are many ways to quit smoking. And there’s a lot of useful
information that’s available to you. That’s why we created this
site…as a resource for information that might help you learn
more about quitting.”
The site goes on to list many of the benefits of quitting smoking
and contains links to the NHS Stop Smoking Service.
It also lists better alternatives to smoking such as heated tobacco
products and e-cigarettes.
“Our aim is to replace cigarettes
with smoke-free products that are
a better choice than continuing
to smoke.”
Regarding heated tobacco it says: “Recently, heated tobacco has
become very successful in several countries such as Japan. But
here in the UK, few smokers know about these products.
Cigarettes burn. Heated tobacco doesn’t. Without burning, there
is no smoke. Instead, there’s a nicotine-containing aerosol
that has much lower amounts of harmful chemicals than in
cigarette smoke.
Heated tobacco products are not risk free. They deliver nicotine
and are addictive. They’re only for adults who smoke – not former
smokers or for people who have never smoked.”
And in the e-cigarette section it gives a basic overview of vaping
products and says: “For many smokers, the nicotine in an
e-cigarette is important to completely switch away from smoking.
In 2015, an expert review for the Government by Public Health
England concluded that e-cigarettes present a fraction of the
risk of smoking – but that many smokers don’t realise this.
Approximately, 1.5 million adults in the UK have switched to
e-cigarettes and given up cigarette smoking.”
A spokesman for Philip Morris International (PMI) said: “PMI has
made a commitment to develop, market, and sell smoke-free
alternatives, and encourage adult smokers who would otherwise
continue to smoke to switch to these alternatives, as quickly as
possible around the world.”
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