19 votes

Tobacco firm Philip Morris calls for ban on cigarettes within decade

15 comments

  1. [3]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. Protected
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      They've been pushing IQOS for years. Still addictive but without the (other) drawbacks. They're well positioned for when/if cigarettes are banned.

      They've been pushing IQOS for years. Still addictive but without the (other) drawbacks. They're well positioned for when/if cigarettes are banned.

      6 votes
    2. post_below
      Link Parent
      Likely they're also making like energy companies and calling for one thing while paying politicians for another.

      Likely they're also making like energy companies and calling for one thing while paying politicians for another.

      1 vote
  2. [5]
    nukeman
    (edited )
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    I find this fascination with trying to completely stamp out tobacco use strange. We’ve tried before with alcohol and other drugs, it either doesn’t work and/or causes violent and organized crime...

    I find this fascination with trying to completely stamp out tobacco use strange. We’ve tried before with alcohol and other drugs, it either doesn’t work and/or causes violent and organized crime to spike. Not to mention there’s racial or cultural discrimination effects (Yes, we are TOTALLY going to make indigenous Bolivians into brown carbon copies of white Europeans by stopping them from having coca tea). I’d much rather have a regulated system derived from Canadian alcohol and cannabis stores:

    • Tobacconist shops would be run by state governments.

    • Virtually all tobacco transfers would go through these stores. Limited exemptions would be made for direct farm-to-consumer sales, home growing, and small gifts.

    • The finished tobacco products industry (cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, E-liquid, Juuls, loose tobacco, dip, etc) would be nationalized.

    • Only plain tobacco and traditional natural flavorings (mint, clove, etc) would be sold through these stores. Other flavor additives could be sold at non-state stores (e.g., orange-flavored E-liquid), so long as they lack tobacco or nicotine.

    • Smoking would be severely restricted in all public spaces, with the exemption of smoking lounges (purpose-built with sealed walls, high-capacity ventilation, and exhaust filters).

    • The smoking age would be lowered back to 18 (I’m one of those people who likes having a consistent age for things, especially when you can join the military and get handed automatic weapons). Fines for straw purchasing would be increased severely.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      The reason I’d like to see all tobacco use stop, at least in any public space, is because other people smoking in public is a health risk to me. Other vices like alcohol, marijuana, and even...

      I find this fascination with trying to completely stamp out tobacco use strange.

      The reason I’d like to see all tobacco use stop, at least in any public space, is because other people smoking in public is a health risk to me. Other vices like alcohol, marijuana, and even “harder” stuff like heroine and cocaine don’t have quite the same effect on non-users as I understand it. I’m not fond of the smell of weed, but at least it’s not making me sick, whereas after being around cigarette smokers for about 30 seconds I feel nauseous.

      I think with that item about restricting where it happens on your list, I’d be fine with what you propose.

      6 votes
      1. nukeman
        Link Parent
        I understand further limiting public tobacco use. I’m referring to ideas (some expressed in this very thread) of continually raising the purchase age or of a tobacco license with a limited...

        I understand further limiting public tobacco use. I’m referring to ideas (some expressed in this very thread) of continually raising the purchase age or of a tobacco license with a limited application period. There seems to be this belief we can permanently end tobacco use. I think we can probably reduce it even further from where it is now, but there’s always going to be 5-10% of people who will want to consume it.

        8 votes
    2. [2]
      vord
      Link Parent
      The military thing always gets me. If you're old enough to be foot soldier, you're old enough to drink to forget. (in America where drinking is 21)

      The military thing always gets me.

      If you're old enough to be foot soldier, you're old enough to drink to forget.

      (in America where drinking is 21)

      4 votes
      1. drannex
        Link Parent
        Counter: If you're old enough to drink, then you should be old enough to be a soldier. We limit drinking and smoking due to maturity and brain development, no one should be making the choice to be...

        Counter: If you're old enough to drink, then you should be old enough to be a soldier.

        We limit drinking and smoking due to maturity and brain development, no one should be making the choice to be a solider at 18.

        16 votes
  3. [4]
    river
    Link
    My idea was that they should increase the age limit by 1 year, every year. This means no new smokers can start, but people who are addicted wont really have a reason to start smashing windows. The...

    My idea was that they should increase the age limit by 1 year, every year. This means no new smokers can start, but people who are addicted wont really have a reason to start smashing windows. The tobacco companies would know what rates they have to cease production at over time too. Never heard of anybody trying to implement it though.

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      knocklessmonster
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I can't believe I'm about to use this argument (it's often used for things I don't think it makes sense to me), but that simply doesn't work. Most smokers started before they were legal, and as...

      I can't believe I'm about to use this argument (it's often used for things I don't think it makes sense to me), but that simply doesn't work. Most smokers started before they were legal, and as the vaping "epidemic" has shown, things aren't fundamentally different now than they were in previous decades.

      To me, at least, it's the standard situation where tighter prohibition just makes the situation worse. The thing to do, and we've been pretty good at in various countries, is just making it unattractive and shifting the culture away from smoking.

      14 votes
      1. ali
        Link Parent
        At this point I don’t even care about whether People want to poison themselves with cigarettes anymore. I just get majorly pissed if I can’t avoid it. Here in Germany, you’ll see people smoking on...

        shifting the culture away from smoking.

        At this point I don’t even care about whether People want to poison themselves with cigarettes anymore. I just get majorly pissed if I can’t avoid it. Here in Germany, you’ll see people smoking on outside in restaurants (where you would want to be to avoid covid), at entrances to every building, even if your downstairs neighbor smokes it’s just like: sucks for you, nothing you can do about it.

        Just make smoking unattractive outside, and protect people that don’t want to smoke.

        1 vote
    2. jackson
      Link Parent
      I like the idea of opening a period where you must have a "cigarette license" where anyone of legal age can get one if they ask. This licensing period would have a defined end-date from the day it...

      I like the idea of opening a period where you must have a "cigarette license" where anyone of legal age can get one if they ask. This licensing period would have a defined end-date from the day it was started. After that end-date, you must have a cigarette license to purchase cigarettes. If you don't, you're SOL.

      4 votes
  4. [4]
    knocklessmonster
    (edited )
    Link
    Do they want to get rid of vaping, too? This admittedly anti-tobacco source also details their investments in that arena, and akin to somebody's Don Draper comparison, there's also carefully...

    Do they want to get rid of vaping, too? This admittedly anti-tobacco source also details their investments in that arena, and akin to somebody's Don Draper comparison, there's also carefully crafted language to target smoking. Market cannibalization is something any marketing team needs to be ready for, as well, so Phillip Morris may just be getting ready to prune a division and look good in doing so.

    6 votes
    1. Litmus2336
      Link Parent
      You can make way more money off vapes because it mostly doesn't kill your customers. Great business move.

      You can make way more money off vapes because it mostly doesn't kill your customers. Great business move.

      2 votes
    2. [2]
      wedgel
      Link Parent
      DIY vaping can be really cheap. But using something like Juul's disposable pods are not, depending on where you live they are not cheaper than cigs( one of the southern states, I can't remember...

      DIY vaping can be really cheap. But using something like Juul's disposable pods are not, depending on where you live they are not cheaper than cigs( one of the southern states, I can't remember which one right now, but cigs are $3.50 a pack - so it might be cheaper there than using a Juul . It's why Atria, Phillip Morris' parent company, bought 35% of Juul for 12.8 billion in 2018. So Juul are going to do their thing and Phillip Morris will push heated tobacco, I forgot what it's called, and win on both sides. To me it just looks like a way to skirt current regulations, while gaining PR points. I think they are mostly focused on selling cigs in Asia these days anyway. But if nothing else, they are set to profit off it or they wouldn't bother.

      1 vote
      1. knocklessmonster
        Link Parent
        My question was more to hint that Phillip Morris isn't done with selling nicotine products. They're also not interested in selling customizable, standardized box mods and DIY juice supplies. I...

        My question was more to hint that Phillip Morris isn't done with selling nicotine products. They're also not interested in selling customizable, standardized box mods and DIY juice supplies.

        I think PM, and the rest of Big Tobacco, is going to try to stick their fingers in as many pots as they can to keep the money coming.

        1 vote