The curious and criticized Philips Morris campaign calling for quitting

"Extremely hypocritical": This is how industry activists received the ad campaign to stop smoking at Philip Morris, one of the largest tobacco companies in the world.

The manufacturer of Marlboro, among other brands, said the measure was "the next big step" in its goal to "permanently stop selling cigarettes," details BBC World.

But the British Cancer Research organization said the company was only trying to promote its alternatives to smoking.

"It's a huge hypocrisy," said the organization, noting that Marlboro continued to promote smoking outside of the UK.

"The best way for Philip Morris to help people not to smoke is to stop making cigarettes," said George Butterworth, head of tobacco control policy at Cancer Research UK.

The organization claims that smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer and invites people to stop smoking completely even using electronic cigarettes.

The Action Organization for Smoking and Health (Ash) also criticized the campaign called "Take My Light" (Hold My Light) that was launched. Monday

For Ash, Philip Morris circumvents the rules banning the promotion of tobacco in the United Kingdom

There is also a video as part of the campaign that shows a young woman negotiating in a "Mission Impossible" room to pbad the lighter to a group of Friends who support her in her attempt to quit smoking.

Most advertisements and promotions of tobacco in the United Kingdom are prohibited and the rules introduced last year imply that tobacco products must be sold Simple green packets.

Deborah Arnott, Ash's executive director, said Philip Morris was still advertising his Marlboro brand around the world, which was legal, BBC Mundo said.

you can not do it in the UK, we are a dark market where advertising, promotion and sponsorship are banned, and cigarettes are sold in packages without images, "he said. [19659017] "Philip Morris promotes the name of the company, which is related to Marlboro. "

Previously, Philip Morris declared a search for a" smoke-free "future.

Like many tobacco companies, Philip Morris focuses on new products to replace cigarettes, as the number of British smokers continues

That is why they started to market several alternatives to cigarettes, including a heated tobacco product, Iqos .. Nicocig, Vivid and Mesh electronic cigarettes also belong to Ohilip Morris.

" Take time "

The director of the company, Peter Nixon, said his new advertising campaign was aimed at" helping smokers find alternatives. "

But when asked why, if Philip Morris was so interested in people who stopped smoking, they did not stop smoking and only focused on alternative products." Smokers would simply look for a product

"Cigarettes still account for 87% of our business, we want to become (non-smokers) as quickly as possible and we want to sell alternatives, but that takes time," he said.

To achieve this goal, Nixon said the company had invested more than US $ 5 billion in the development of alternative products to cigarettes, and the campaign they launched suggests four ways to stop it. to quit smoking, use nicotine patches, smoke electronic cigarettes, and use heated tobacco products.

The Daily Mirror Refits ence unusual in its editorial. According to BBC World, he was "happy to support the campaign," he adds to the announcement. "19659005] He also added," Yes, we were also surprised that this campaign was created by Philip Morris Ltd. it can only be positive that they are trying to invite people to quit. "

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