Smoke-free products answer to curbing cigarette sales

KUCHING: Smoke-free products can put a dent on cigarette sales in conjunction with effective government policies.

Phillip Morris (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (PMM) Head of Corporate Communications Veronica Choo said the company has invested a total of $12.5 billion in research and development to produce smoke-free products.

And through research and development conducted by 1,500 experts, several products have been produced and sold in 90 markets worldwide as an alternative to cigarettes, she said.

“We have 36.5 million adult smokers who have switched to our smoke-free products.

“So, our goal is clear, which is to ensure a smoke-free future,” she said during the Discovery Journey Toward A Smoke-Free Future sharing session with media practitioners here, yesterday (Aug 5).

The media sharing session conducted by one of the panels. Photo by Muhammad Izzan Amani.

However, she said, efforts cutting down the number of smokers in the future would be difficult to implement without effective government policies.

Choo said there is a need to come up with innovative policies and regulations based on scientific findings to ensure the goal of reducing the number of smokers in the future is achieved.

“Japan today adopts smoke-free products, and you can see cigarette sales declining. All this happened because of better regulations within the country itself.

“So today, we have to ask ourselves how to maximise public health benefits by innovating better alternatives,” she added.

During a question and answer session on the reduction of cigarette sales in Japan, Choo said the Japanese government has accepted the element of harm reduction as an alternative to cigarettes.

As such, she said, Japan currently accepts and allows the sale of heated tobacco products.

She added that the mentality of the Japanese people, who prioritise cleanliness, also contributes to the reduction in cigarette sales.

“Overall, I believe that the mentality of the Japanese people and their forward-thinking government have enabled this (reduction in cigarette sales) to happen,” she said.