The WHO has denounced as "cynical" the campaign of Philip M …

From the Z journal

The World Health Organization has described as "cynical" the campaign of the largest cigarette producer, tobacco company Philip Morris, for promoting its "deadly products" and for renaming the World Day without in "World No Tobacco Day", minimizing the risks of this habit.

On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, to be held on Friday, 31 May, WHO launched an awareness campaign on the devastating effects of smoking, which causes about 8 million deaths each year.

The UN Health Agency has criticized Philip Morris International's (PMI) attempt to run its own campaign this week to promote its new products of "vaping" (electronic cigarette) and "smoke-free" (which heats tobacco but without burning it), presenting them as a solution.

Even the tobacco company has proposed that World No Tobacco Day be renamed "World No Tobacco Day" and launched the slogan "It's time not to smoke", a neologism that could be translated as "It's time to let off steam." ".

"We view the campaign as a cynical attempt by society to promote its deadly products," said Vinayak Prasad, director of the WHO's Initiative for a Tobacco-Free World, in a message.

Three years ago, Philip Morris International announced its intention to reduce its production of conventional cigarettes and replace them with a range of "smoke-free" products, such as electronic cigarettes and items that heat tobacco without burning it.

The group claims that these products are much less harmful, but failed to convince WHO, that no independent scientific study could confirm these results.

"The claim that these products help quit smoking is not verified," Prasad said.

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, a habit that generates more than 7 million deaths a year. Of these, 6 million are direct smokers, but the rest are people exposed to second-hand smoke. The theme of this year, decided by the World Health Organization, is "Tobacco and Lung Health".

In Argentina, 20% of people over 18 smoke directly. One in five Argentines However, thanks to anti-smoking campaigns and the ban on smoking in public places, more than a million smokers have quit the habit during the last decade.

Smoking is a chronic addictive disease, in which nicotine is the substance responsible for addiction because it has the characteristics of a drug: it generates tolerance, a physical and psychological dependence and, when it is not consumed, is manifested by the appearance of symptoms of withdrawal syndrome. . Tobacco smoke contains more than 5,000 detected chemicals, of which more than 40 are carcinogens. The most common form of consumption is cigarettes, although there are others such as "bidis", cigars, chewing tobacco, etc.