Philip Morris calls on UK govt to ban cigarettes within a decade

The chief executive of tobacco firm Philip Morris International (PMI), Jacek Olczak has called on the UK government to ban cigarettes within a decade.

Olczak said the company could "see the world without cigarettes … and actually, the sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone," reports the Guardian. 

He also added that cigarettes should be treated like petrol cars, the sale of which is due to be banned from 2030.

UK government's action would end the confusion felt by smokers, some of whom still thought the "alternatives are worse than cigarettes", Olczak told the Sunday Telegraph.

The move would outlaw PMI's own famous cigarette brand, Marlboro.

"Give them a choice of smoke-free alternatives … with the right regulation and information it can happen 10 years from now in some countries. You can solve the problem once and forever," he said.

PMI recently said it wanted half its turnover to come from non-smoking products as it morphs into a "healthcare and wellness company" with executive pay tied to its new mission to "unsmoke the world" by phasing out cigarettes. Nonetheless the company has come under fire from anti-smoking campaigners who accused it of hypocrisy after it launched a £1bn takeover bid for Vectura, a British pharmacy company that makes asthma inhalers.

Tobacco firms have been moving into cigarette alternatives such as vapes and e-cigarettes. PMI is pushing the IQOS, a cigarette device that heats tobacco to deliver nicotine without the smoke and tar that cause diseases including cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, Smoking, including secondhand, kills roughly 8 million people a year. Campaigners argue tobacco companies are positioning themselves as part of the solution to a smoke-free world, while continuing to aggressively sell and promote lethal cigarettes. Smoking, including secondhand, kills roughly 8 million people a year.