Philip Morris says it may stop selling cigarettes as it launches alternative

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Quote

Philip Morris says it may stop selling cigarettes as it launches alternative

 

Marlboro maker’s chief executive says iQos product is less harmful and he foresees future without cigarettes

 

The tobacco giant Philip Morris has said it could eventually stop selling conventional cigarettes as it launched a product in the UK which it claims is a less harmful alternative.

 

The company behind the Marlboro brand said its iQOS product heats but does not burn tobacco. So while smokers get a nicotine hit, fewer toxins are produced, making it less harmful than ordinary cigarettes.

 

André Calantzopoulos, the chief executive of Philip Morris International, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he saw a future without cigarettes.

 

“I believe that there will come a moment in time where we have sufficient adoption of this alternative product and sufficient awareness to start envisaging – together with governments – a phase-out period for cigarettes. I hope this time will come soon.”

 

He defended the company’s continued sale of cigarettes: “Consumers choose to use cigarettes. I don’t think Philip Morris invented cigarettes. For us, it’s to offer our consumers the best product we can in a category that we all know is addictive and causes harm.

 

“Once we have the alternative, as we have today, we offer them the alternative and we will do everything we can to convince [people] to switch to these products.”

 

The Swiss-based company has invested $3bn (£2.4bn) in the iQOS, which is already available in several other markets including Japan, Switzerland and Italy.

 

The health charity Ash said that unlike electronic cigarettes, which vaporise nicotine suspended in a liquid, the iQOS heats and vaporises tobacco.

 

Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of Ash, said independent evidence was needed to support any claims made by the tobacco industry that products were safer.

 

She added: “Philip Morris claims to be moving towards a post-smoking future but, like other tobacco companies, it is still actively promoting smoking around the world, using methods that would be illegal in the UK.

 

“From past experience nothing the tobacco companies say should be accepted at face value. Fully independent research and assessment will be crucial if iQOS and related products are to be accepted as useful in fighting the smoking epidemic.”

Source: The Guardian

[FloatingFatMan]

You're still inhaling something that you shouldn't be, so no.. It's not harmless.  Less harmful than cigarettes? Possibly, but definitely NOT harmless.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

16 minutes ago, FloatingFatMan said:

You're still inhaling something that you shouldn't be, so no.. It's not harmless.  Less harmful than cigarettes? Possibly, but definitely NOT harmless.

youre right, but the article says "less harmful." it never claims 'harmless.'

 

While tobacco usage, at least in the US, seems to be declining every decade, there will always be tobacco users. i dont see Phillip Morris stopping production any time soon.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

My housemate has one, and I got to trial one for a week. Well, when I say a week...I ended up going back to cigarettes. It's not for me.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

6 minutes ago, Nick H. said:

My housemate has one, and I got to trial one for a week. Well, when I say a week...I ended up going back to cigarettes. It's not for me.

does it work similar to an e-cig but replaces the liquid w/ tobacco? is it the same size as one of those ridiculous genie-in-a-bottle ecigs?

[Nick H. Supervisor]

12 minutes ago, Jason S. said:

does it work similar to an e-cig but replaces the liquid w/ tobacco? is it the same size as one of those ridiculous genie-in-a-bottle ecigs?

It looks like this:

 

The block is the charger part, the bit covering the cigarette is the device itself. Like it says in the article, it vaporizes the tobacco. The thing about these though is that, unlike the vaporizers with the liquid, you get one cigarette for one session (vapes can be used over extended periods of time.) So you would still be buying a pack of their special cigarettes on a regular basis. Now I'm a bit annoyed I didn't try and put a regular cigarette in there, just to see what would happen...

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

24 minutes ago, Nick H. said:

The block is the charger part, the bit covering the cigarette is the device itself. Like it says in the article, it vaporizes the tobacco. The thing about these though is that, unlike the vaporizers with the liquid, you get one cigarette for one session (vapes can be used over extended periods of time.) So you would still be buying a pack of their special cigarettes on a regular basis. Now I'm a bit annoyed I didn't try and put a regular cigarette in there, just to see what would happen...

that sounds pretty expensive...

[Draconian Guppy]

1 hour ago, Jason S. said:

youre right, but the article says "less harmful." it never claims 'harmless.'

 

While tobacco usage, at least in the US, seems to be declining every decade, there will always be tobacco users. i dont see Phillip Morris stopping production any time soon.

Yup, that and the fact that currently (who knows in 100 years) tobacco is dead cheap to produce vs these newer technologies.

[FloatingFatMan]

Why not just quit? Sod the health benefits that most people argue for... You'll save a clanking fortune!

[Yazoo]

do people think they are cool when they smoke? With the known health issues why do people still smoke, why do they start?

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

5 minutes ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Why not just quit? Sod the health benefits that most people argue for... You'll save a clanking fortune!

smokers now the bad part of smoking, but it's something they enjoy. it's something they love to do. imagine taking your favorite hobby and someone says you cant do it anymore. if your hobby was, say, video games and then youre not allowed to play a video game for the rest of your life, that'd be hard, right? that would suck. if you really enjoyed working on cars, nope, cant do that anymore. it's the same thing.

5 minutes ago, Yazoo said:

do people think they are cool when they smoke? With the known health issues why do people still smoke, why do they start?

people dont think that they look cool, but smoking just makes you look cool. it's an unfortunate fact.

 

why start? b/c there's never a mindset that "this is going to negatively affect me and im going to get addicted." people dont think that. it's the same w/ any drug.

[FloatingFatMan]

I'm a former smoker (quit 17 years ago), so I'd be the last person to tell someone they have to quit. But AS a former smoker, I can tell them the benefits of doing so, and one of those was having rather a lot more money in my pocket to support my PC habit!

 

I used to enjoy smoking, and when I quit I put a LOT of weight on, so there are downsides too, BUT for me, getting more cash to spend on my PC and other things outweighed those. Besides, smoking makes you stink really bad...

[Nick H. Supervisor]

8 minutes ago, Yazoo said:

With the known health issues why do people still smoke

Because I enjoy it.

[ensiform]

20 minutes ago, Jason S. said:

smokers now the bad part of smoking, but it's something they enjoy. it's something they love to do. imagine taking your favorite hobby and someone says you cant do it anymore. if your hobby was, say, video games and then youre not allowed to play a video game for the rest of your life, that'd be hard, right? that would suck. if you really enjoyed working on cars, nope, cant do that anymore. it's the same thing.

people dont think that they look cool, but smoking just makes you look cool. it's an unfortunate fact.

 

why start? b/c there's never a mindset that "this is going to negatively affect me and im going to get addicted." people dont think that. it's the same w/ any drug.

Some people may find it makes you look cool.  Not everyone.  In fact, I'm just the opposite.  I'd rather run a mile away from someone who smokes because its pathetic.

[TAZMINATOR]

20 minutes ago, Yazoo said:

do people think they are cool when they smoke? With the known health issues why do people still smoke, why do they start?

I heard that smoking helps you stay thin. Otherwise you may gain weight if not smoking at all depends on how you eat if you don't exercise.

 

Of course there are many ways to stay thin for non-smokers in case they don't want to smoke at all.  

 

Some people do not care and they do whatever they want if they know about health issues (Some people don't research, they go ahead and smoke.)  So they enjoy their life as long as they can.  Smoking can help calm people down. Same way for drinking..  Which you had a stress day, you go to the bar or home to grab a drink such as beer or bourbon... whatever you like to drink.

 

Red wine is good for your heart, which I heard.

 

There are many things for us to take care ourselves with for health benefits. Such as smoking, drinking, eating, exercise, etc.  

[The Rev]

I love how when rival companies are producing ecigs, the tobacco community is "up in arms" and spreading FUD about ecigs....  until they bring their own product onto the market...  Now they're like, oh yeah, we were just kidding, ecigs are way better for you!  Try OURS!  :-p

 

[PGHammer]

On 11/30/2016 at 11:31 AM, Jason S. said:

smokers now the bad part of smoking, but it's something they enjoy. it's something they love to do. imagine taking your favorite hobby and someone says you cant do it anymore. if your hobby was, say, video games and then youre not allowed to play a video game for the rest of your life, that'd be hard, right? that would suck. if you really enjoyed working on cars, nope, cant do that anymore. it's the same thing.

people dont think that they look cool, but smoking just makes you look cool. it's an unfortunate fact.

 

why start? b/c there's never a mindset that "this is going to negatively affect me and im going to get addicted." people dont think that. it's the same w/ any drug.

Also, the effects of nicotine are known - including it being a carcinogen; it's not like smokers (including me - I've been a smoker since starting underage - at sixteen) are unaware of the risks, even when starting.  (Here's a surprising fact - the health risks of cigarettes are more qualified - and quantified - than the risks of most psychotropic prescription drugs; why does that NOT scare more people?)  Heck, the effects of indulging at all-you-can-eat buffets are less studied than second-hand smoke - yet I don't see the FDA doing a study of Golden Corral.  (I'm quite serious - according to GC's own ads, they are the most popular of the AYCE buffet chains - and such buffets are humongously popular; how common are obesity-related disorders among the buffet set?  As more and more research into the effects of ALL activities - including things as routine as eating - become known, we find that we are faced with risk merely by living our daily lives; in other words, it is IMPOSSIBLE to live a risk-free life anywhere on the planet.)  (I think that SOME folks have a perverse thrill of being "ninny-nannies"  A "ninny nanny" - my own invention - is someone that gets a thrill of basically insisting that living is inherently dangerous and we need to retreat into a bubble of asceticism.)

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

I smoke......it's no worse than drinking every day. Big deal. I'd rather have a few puffs from a cig, than have some electronic device explode in my pocket.

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

On 2016-11-30 at 11:38 AM, Nick H. said:

Because I enjoy it.

have you actually looked at the reasoning?  why do you enjoy it?
 

I smoked for almost 15 years, but my understanding is clear, the reasons that i smoked for, and the reason i "enjoyed" it, was something not worthwhile... that made it easy to quit.   you just have to have the full picture.

[PGHammer]

12 minutes ago, Jimmy Jimmy said:

have you actually looked at the reasoning?  why do you enjoy it?
 

I smoked for almost 15 years, but my understanding is clear, the reasons that i smoked for, and the reason i "enjoyed" it, was something not worthwhile... that made it easy to quit.   you just have to have the full picture.

In my case, it actually has effects similar to psychotropic prescription medications - but without a lot of their KNOWN side-effects.  How often, though, have we found out later (much later) that the "full picture" often was anything but? (I'm not speaking about cigarettes, either, but practically everything discovered about food, drink, and merely prescription medicines that existed prior to World War II.  (Yes - I am deliberately leaving out anything or everything discovered SINCE World War II - and on purpose.  Worse, I have found - much to my horror - that the newly-no-longer-a-smoker is just as hyped over it as the hyper-religious fanatic; therefore, I take their stances with a rather large MINE of salt - and for the same reasons that apply to fanatics about anything else.))

[siah1214]

34 minutes ago, Obi-Wan Kenobi said:

I smoke......it's no worse than drinking every day.

[citation needed]

[FloatingFatMan]

1 hour ago, PGHammer said:

Also, the effects of nicotine are known - including it being a carcinogen; it's not like smokers (including me - I've been a smoker since starting underage - at sixteen) are unaware of the risks, even when starting.  (Here's a surprising fact - the health risks of cigarettes are more qualified - and quantified - than the risks of most psychotropic prescription drugs; why does that NOT scare more people?)  Heck, the effects of indulging at all-you-can-eat buffets are less studied than second-hand smoke - yet I don't see the FDA doing a study of Golden Corral.  (I'm quite serious - according to GC's own ads, they are the most popular of the AYCE buffet chains - and such buffets are humongously popular; how common are obesity-related disorders among the buffet set?  As more and more research into the effects of ALL activities - including things as routine as eating - become known, we find that we are faced with risk merely by living our daily lives; in other words, it is IMPOSSIBLE to live a risk-free life anywhere on the planet.)  (I think that SOME folks have a perverse thrill of being "ninny-nannies"  A "ninny nanny" - my own invention - is someone that gets a thrill of basically insisting that living is inherently dangerous and we need to retreat into a bubble of asceticism.)

I would just point out that an obese person stuffing themselves at an AYCE restaurant is only making -themselves- fatter. Smokers affect the health of -everyone- around them.

 

57 minutes ago, Obi-Wan Kenobi said:

I smoke......it's no worse than drinking every day. Big deal. I'd rather have a few puffs from a cig, than have some electronic device explode in my pocket.

So you have a choice between a lung disease or a liver disease.  That's some choice you're giving yourself there, Obi.

 

How the hell can you afford to smoke anyway? Last I heard, you were living in a tent in your mom's backyard...

[PGHammer]

Just now, FloatingFatMan said:

I would just point out that an obese person stuffing themselves at an AYCE restaurant is only making -themselves- fatter. Smokers affect the health of -everyone- around them.

 

And folks stuffing themselves at an AYCE buffet does not increase (even if the effect is psychological) the appetites/hunger of those around them?  We don't know because it hasn't been studied - the $0.64USD question is why HASN'T it been studied?  (As opposed to known "junk-science-class" studies that HAVE been done - at governmental and even serious foundation (like Ford Foundation-serious) expense.)

 

All too often, "don't know" means just that - nothing ulterior OR sinister about it.

 

[FloatingFatMan]

1 minute ago, PGHammer said:

And folks stuffing themselves at an AYCE buffet does not increase (even if the effect is psychological) the appetites/hunger of those around them?  We don't know because it hasn't been studied - the $0.64USD question is why HASN'T it been studied?  (As opposed to known "junk-science-class" studies that HAVE been done - at governmental and even serious foundation (like Ford Foundation-serious) expense.)

 

All too often, "don't know" means just that - nothing ulterior OR sinister about it.

 

Last time I was at one of those places (and I'm a fatty), I looked at a waaaay fatter guy across the room, noted that he was wearing a frickin' BIB, and left.  I actually felt nauseous it was so gross, so honestly? IMO, it puts others OFF their food!

 

[PGHammer]

1 minute ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Last time I was at one of those places (and I'm a fatty), I looked at a waaaay fatter guy across the room, noted that he was wearing a frickin' BIB, and left.  I actually felt nauseous it was so gross, so honestly? IMO, it puts others OFF their food!

 

Yet he was actually being CONSIDERATE and proper.  (By wearing a bib, he is well aware of his OWN eating habits regarding certain foods - and preparing for them; how much WORSE would it be if someone did NOT take into account their "sloppy" eating styles and forewent said bib (and made a mess)?  Which is worse - planning ahead for the mess, or not planning (and being messy anyway)?)