Want To QUIT Smoking - Ask Philip Morris For Help..

February 11, 2008 - Just ask Philip Morris(PM) executives and they'll tell you that the company strives to be socially responsible. The Chairman and CEO of PM USA Michael E. Szymanczyk will tell you that his company is involved in a number of tobacco prevention activities. They even have introduced programs to help smokers who decide to quit be more successful. Mr. Szymanczyk, "While this may seem counterintuitive to some, we are focused on ensuring that consumers who interact with our company have a great experience, including when they decide to quit smoking. The evidence indicates that many of our consumers will, at some point, decide to stop using our products. We want to be there to help them succeed when they make that decision with the launch of the QuitAssist initiative."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 70 percent of smokers want to quit. So why isn't PM helping these people free themselves of a life of tobacco and nicotine dependence?? Instead PM is rewarding adult smokers for their loyalty to Marlboro cigarettes by providing unique experiences for these smokers. The experiences range from trips to experience Marlboro Country, a trip to Crazy Mountain Ranch in Montana, to getting behind the wheel at the Marlboro Racing School, or having an opportunity to ride shotgun with a pro-driver or to be invited with tens of thousands of other smokers to go out to your local race track as guests to see Marlboro Team Penske compete in the Indy Racing League. All, of these efforts have helped contribute to the retaining of market share by Marlboro - the world's most popular cigarette. For every 100 cigarette customers in the U.S. approximately 41 (for hispanic smokers this figure is close to 50) of these smokers will ask for Marlboro cigarettes. Philip Morris Looks to the Future, March/April 2007 Image - For its 50th anniversary, Marlboro introduced a new version of its Reds and Light cigarettes – the “72’s”. These shortened cigarettes come in smaller more metallic looking packs and are currently promoted as the anniversary packs of Marlboro’s 50th celebration. Philip Morris began shipping the 72’s in January 2005. Marlboro Turns 50 (TobaccoWatch.org)

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Congratulations.. Thailand Joins Developed World With Total Ban On Smoking..

February 11, 2008 - Congratulations.. Thailand Joins Developed World With Total Ban On Smoking.. Thailand will extend its ban on smoking to air-conditioned bars and offices and outdoor markets next month, joining major developed countries in a war on tobacco, a leading Thai anti-smoking agency said on Friday. Smokers faced a 2,000 baht ($60) fine and owners who fail to enforce the law could be fined 20,000 baht ($600) after the ban takes effect on February 17, said the Thailand Health Promotion Institute, which helped push for the law. The smokefree law passed in November 2002 banned smoking in covered indoor public places, including air-conditioned restaurants but exempted nightclubs and bars. The Health Ministry ban could face opposition from some bar owners, group president Hatai Chitanondh said in a statement. "They may be thinking the Health Ministry is ruining their business, kicking away their customers, but our research papers show a smoking ban will bring more customers to them," Hatai said. The ban’s extension is being hailed by health advocates who say it is another milestone for tobacco control. Related News Brief: Thailand Discouraging Tobacco Use - Horrific Images on the Packaging.. Click on image to enlarge..
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WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008..

February 8, 2008 - WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008.. The report calls on all countries to dramatically increase efforts to prevent young people from beginning to smoke, help smokers quit and protect nonsmokers from exposure to second hand smoke. Tobacco use killed 100 million people worldwide in the 20th century and could kill 1 billion people in the 21st unless governments act now to dramatically reduce it, the World Health Organization said in a report released on Thursday, February 7, 2008. With Philip Morris International and other multinational tobacco companies aggressively introducing new products and increasingly targeting the developing world, it is urgent that nations act now to implement the proven solutions identified in this report. WHO has identified six cost-effective tobacco control policies that have been proven to reduce tobacco use and that every nation should implement. Called the MPOWER package by the WHO, these solutions require nations to: Monitor tobacco use and assess the impact of tobacco prevention and cessation efforts; Protect everyone from secondhand smoke with laws that require smoke-free workplaces and public places; Offer help to every tobacco user to quit; Warn and effectively educate every person about the dangers of tobacco use with strong, pictorial health warnings and hard-hitting, sustained media campaigns to educate the public; Enact and enforce comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships and on the use of misleading terms such as ‘light’ and ‘low-tar’; and Raise the price of tobacco products by increasing tobacco taxes. Not one nation has implemented all key tobacco control measures despite the fact that governments around the world collect 500 times more money in tobacco taxes each year than they spend on anti-tobacco efforts. According to the report, nearly two-thirds of the world's smokers live in 10 countries: China, which accounts for nearly 30 percent, India with about 10 percent, Indonesia, Russia, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey. Some related news briefs: With less restrains PMI looks to the future.., Altria Announces Spin-off of Philip Morris International Inc.., Tomorrow Altria Board Expected to Announce Decision to Split Philip Morris International (PMI) From Philip Morris USA.. and Philip Morris International (PMI) was truly happy they had been back in the Bulgarian cigarette market.. . Epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto warned that developing countries were "sitting on a time bomb" of deaths due to tobacco consumption. (BMJ 1995; 311:1321) Click on image to enlarge..
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Vindicating its move into smokeless tobacco products...

February 7, 2008 - Vindicating its move into smokeless tobacco products, strong sales of moist snuff helped offset lower cigarette volumes and higher settlement payments at Reynolds American (RAI) for 2007. Conwood has continued to post volume, earnings and margin growth since its acquisition in May 2006. During its first full year as a member of the RAI family, Conwood continued to lead growth in the moist-snuff category, and gained 0.9 share points in 2007 – with a full-year share of 26.0 percent. That growth was driven by an additional gain of 1.7 share points on Grizzly, which had a full year share of shipments of 21.1 percent. Despite higher pricing and heavy competition that included a number of new market entrants, Grizzly, the moist snuff deep-discount entry, grew at more than twice the industry rate. In 2007, Grizzly captured well over 40 percent of all volume growth in the moist-snuff category. Conwood’s leading premium entry – Kodiak – experienced volume and share declines last year in the face of heavy promotion by competitive brands. Camel Snus, represents the brand’s first foray into a new category: smoke-free tobacco products that are also spitless. Camel Snus provides adults with a discreet way to enjoy tobacco pleasure. In 2007, R.J. Reynolds expanded its test of Camel Snus to a total of eight markets, and the company plans to expand into additional markets in the second quarter of 2008. In the only cigarette growth segment menthols: Kool, R.J. Reynolds’ menthol growth brand, led by the growing popularity of Kool’s XL styles. Kool XL, a smoother, wider cigarette, was introduced in 2006 in 27 states. Last year, the company expanded Kool XL nationally, along with a new, milder style called XL Blue. That helped Kool maintain its overall market share of 3.1 percent despite intense competition in the menthol market and the above-average price increases we’ve taken to further strengthen Kool’s profitability.” The 3rd growth brand, Pall Mall, continues to gain share on the strength of its positioning as a great product at a great price. Pall Mall remained focused on volume and margin growth in 2007 as the brand added another 0.3 share points, for a full-year share of 2.1 percent. Filippe Goossens of Credit Suisse noted that cigarette volumes declined faster than expected, and growth rates for the smokeless segment decelerated.
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Further evidence that tobacco advertising in stores undermines attempts to stop smoking.. Professor Janet Hoek of Massey University...

February 7, 2008 - Further evidence that tobacco advertising in stores undermines attempts to stop smoking.. Professor Janet Hoek of Massey University, who led the study, said, "A strong theme of the 20 participants' views was that prohibiting retail displays of tobacco would protect young people." Nearly a third of smokers in the study agreed that removing the displays would help them to quit. There is international evidence that retail tobacco displays and other forms of retail marketing increase susceptibility to smoking, the commencement of smoking by children, and the establishment in children's minds of smoking as a "normal" behaviour. Australian research published last year found that 40 per cent of smokers who were trying to stop or reduce smoking were tempted to buy a pack when they saw a retail display. Click on image to enlarge.. - Some related news briefs: Youth exposed to smokeless tobacco ads despite settlement…, Ireland to ban tobacco displays.., an Nova Scotia (NS) - ban on point of sale tobacco advertising.. Cigarette retail marketing practices increase the likelihood of youth smoking.. . Click on image to enlarge..
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