PMI Envisages Growth In E-Cigarettes Uptake
CIGARETTES and tobacco manufacturing firm, Philip Morris International (PMI) says it will increase roll out of non-combustible cigarettes across its global markets in a bid to reduce the harm associated with smoking tobacco.
By Michael Gwarisa recently in Johannesburg
Speaking at the just ended Africa Reporters Workshop on Tobacco Harm reduction in Johannesburg, PMI managing director in South Africa, Hugo Macerlo Nico said uptake of vaping gadgets and e-cigarettes was on an upward trend globally, with Japan, South Africa, the United States being amongst the leaders.
“We have a mission of seeing cigarettes disappearing. We have a number of nicotine containing products which can be consumed by people from various backgrounds that are potentially less harmful alternatives. “
“We are aware that tobacco smoking is also very high amongst poor communities. In South Africa we have ensured that the price of a vaping device is similar to that of cigarettes. We also have a variety of products that replace conventional smoking for example snooze and snuff,” said Marcelo.
The E-cigarettes according to Marcelo just heats but does not burn tobacco, producing a nicotine-containing vapour rather than smoke and making it less harmful than conventional cigarettes. The company says it wants to one day stop selling cigarettes altogether.
According to the World Health Organisation, there is an estimated one billion smokers worldwide and every minute, smokers get through nearly 11 million cigarettes and ten die from the habit.
Despite the cigarettes industry generating billions of dollars every year, massive harm and loss of life occurs as a result. Not less than seven million people die as a result of tobacco smoking each year, which means it kills half of its users while six million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 890 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke
80 percent of these one billion smokers live in low to middle income countries or poor and vulnerable communities. Over the years, multinational companies and some Non Governmental Organisation (NGOs) have been championing the concept of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) through various initiatives which include E-Cigarettes or Vaping or some non combustible smoking innovations.
