The chief executive of Philip Morris International, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes outside the US, said his company would stop selling cigarettes in the UK within a decade.
CEO Jacek Olczak told The Mail on Sunday that the move was part of the company’s goal to become smoke-free and to help end the use of traditional cigarettes.
Olczak also called on the UK government to outlaw cigarettes within a decade, comparing them to gas-powered cars, which are set to be barred from being sold in the country starting in 2030, according to The Telegraph.
“We can see the world without cigarettes,” he said. “And actually, the sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone. With the right regulation and information it can happen 10 years from now in some countries. And you can solve the problem once and forever.”
Philip Morris International is separate from Philip Morris USA, which makes Marlboro cigarettes in the US and is a division of the American tobacco corporation Altria. It split from Philip Morris USA in 2008 and recently announced plans to transform into a smoke-free company, as well as its intention to buy the British pharmaceutical company Vectura Group, which makes asthma inhalers.
Anti-smoking groups in the UK criticized that sale, accusing tobacco companies of trying to position themselves as anti-smoking while still selling tobacco products, according to The Guardian.
Smoking kills more than 8 million people a year, according to the World Health Organization.
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