Within the next decade, Marlboro cigarettes may no longer be available on U.K. shelves, says the brand's owner, Philip Morris International
One of those alternatives just happens to be the company's own new heated tobacco product, the IQOS.
"I want to allow this company to leave smoking behind...I think in the U.K., ten years from now maximum, you can completely solve the problem of smoking." PMI CEO Jacek Olczak told The Mail on Sunday. "The first choice for consumers is they should quit smoking. But if they don't, the second best choice is to let them switch to the better alternatives."
According to the World Health Organization, "the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced", killing more than 8 million people every year. It has been confirmed that vaping and e-cigarettes are safer than traditional tobacco, but e-cigs and vapes also have their drawbacks, leading to bans and sales restrictions across the globe. This left the market open for the "better alternatives" Olczak was referencing.
PMI's own IQOS has already received limited Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market itself as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP), or a tobacco product that is healthier than cigarettes, though the company will be required to conduct continuous studies and surveillance of the safety of its product.
The problem is that there doesn't seem to be enough proof showing that these products are any safer than vaping or e-cigarettes. On its own site, PMI acknowledges that its heated tobacco products come with risks, but says that they are still an improvement over cigarettes. Noticeably absent is a comparison to e-cigarettes or vapes.
"PMI is building its future on replacing cigarettes with smoke-free products that-while not risk-free-are a far better choice than cigarette smoking," the company site reads.
Just last year, the company reportedly published a press release regarding the "skepticism and fear around vaping" in which PMI directly contrasted e-cigarettes with its own IQOS heated tobacco product, despite there being no studies on their comparative safety.
This is according to a report on Philip Morris' marketing of the IQOS. The report also notes that media mentions of the IQOS peaked about a month after the outbreak of EVALI, or e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injuries, as blogs and articles began to offer it as an allegedly safer alternative.
"The concerns raised and news media attention focused on EVALI created a fertile environment for the tobacco industry to promote their e-cigarette alternatives," the report reads.
Now, critics feel the company is taking advantage of anti-cigarette sentiments to once again push its other products.
Next, while virtually no one is arguing for the continued sale of cigarettes, many are questioning how meaningful this gesture will be. Smoking in the U.K. is declining on its own, and the U.K. government already has plans in place to ban cigarettes in the country by 2030, including by requiring tobacco companies to fund programs helping smokers quit.
This also isn't the first time Philip Morris has spoken about how much the company would like to move away from cigarettes and e-cigarettes, casting doubt on the company's supposed commitment to reducing tobacco use.
"Philip Morris has claimed that it wants to see the end of smoking for years now, but how can such claims be taken seriously from a company which sells more than one in ten cigarettes smoked worldwide?" Deborah Arnott, CEO of Action on Smoking and Health, wrote in a statement.
Whether or not Philip Morris is serious about its anti-smoking efforts in the U.K., American smokers need not worry that their Marlboros will be out of reach any time soon. Philip Morris International separated from Philip Morris USA, the seller of Marlboro cigarettes in the U.S., in 2008. Philip Morris USA's parent company, Altria, hasn't come out quite as fervently against cigarettes as its English counterpart.
"At Altria, we're focused on moving beyond smoking and our 2030 Vision to responsibly lead the transition of adult smokers to non-combustible products," a company spokesperson told NBC News. "We have the ability to make significant progress on harm reduction and public health."
Like PMI, Altria's current version of harm reduction is their own smoke-free products. However, unlike PMI in the U.K., Altria isn't pushing for an all-out ban on cigarette smoking in the U.S. Tobacco experts say this reflects a difference in the smoking culture of those two populations.
"Smokers in the U.S. may be more resolute in their desire to maintain the 'freedom' to smoke, a slightly unique American disposition that is not nearly as strong in other countries," Kathleen Hoke, Director for the Center for Tobacco Regulation at the University of Maryland School of Law told NBC News.
