Philip Morris boss: The UK could be smoke-free in 10 years
The UK could be cigarette-free in 10 years if regulators work together with industry, the UK boss of Philip Morris International has said.
Speaking to City A.M., Peter Nixon said that PMI would be willing to work with Public Health England and the government to work towards a smoke-free Britain in just 10 years.
But he warned that at the current rate of change, it could take 40 years for cigarettes to become a thing of the past.
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"It’s one of those things where I think if we all sat down – and I mean the government, the industry, everyone – and said: how do we get rid of cigarettes in 10 years in the UK? We could do it," he said.
He also suggested that the government could use Brexit as an opportunity to review regulation on smoking alternatives, lifting the ban on online advertising for e-cigarettes.
"It doesn’t make any sense when you can advertise in the UK for vaping products on a billboard but you cannot do a targeted advert to a smoker online," he said.
PMI made a public pledge to give up cigarettes in January, saying its goal was to stop selling cigarettes in the UK entirely.
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