{"id":2385,"date":"2021-11-14T12:12:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T12:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdGFtZm9yZGFkdm9jYXRlLmNvbS9idXNpbmVzcy9hcnRpY2xlL1dpbGwtUGhpbGlwLU1vcnJpcy1mdWxmaWxsLXBsZWRnZS10by1iZS0xNjYxOTY3Ny5waHA_dD1iNmJmYzNmZjdmJnNyYz1zdGhwYnVzaW5lc3PSAQA"},"modified":"2021-11-14T12:12:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T12:12:25","slug":"will-philip-morris-fulfill-pledge-to-be-majority-smoke-free-in-connecticut-the-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2385","title":{"rendered":"Will Philip Morris fulfill pledge to be ‘majority smoke-free’ in Connecticut? – The Advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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STAMFORD \u2014 The upcoming arrival of Philip Morris International has revealed a conflict Gov. Ned Lamont<\/a> and other officials have with the tobacco giant.<\/p>\n

Lamont and legislators who represent Stamford at the state Capitol and in Congress say they are non-smokers, but they are keen to tout the economic benefits of another Fortune 500 company moving to Connecticut \u2014 despite their distaste for cigarettes and recognition that tobacco use has caused thousands of deaths in the state each year.<\/p>\n

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The governor and other supporters of PMI\u2019s relocation argue that the new headquarters at 677 Washington Blvd. \u2014 the former home of UBS \u2014 can help the company fulfill its pledge to move away from cigarettes to less harmful \u201csmoke-free\u201d products. Many of those officials also maintain that PMI\u2019s presence will not discourage them from advancing anti-tobacco initiatives.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think they\u2019re moving in the right direction and moving the smoking population in the right direction,\u201d Lamont, who confirmed last week that he would run for reelection<\/a>, said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media.<\/p>\n

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More Business<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\u2018Good for Connecticut\u2019<\/h2>\n

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PMI will move its headquarters from midtown Manhattan and open offices next summer at 677 Washington that will cover more than 71,000 square feet. The No. 101 firm on this year\u2019s Fortune list intends to bring about 200 jobs to the state. It estimates the \u201ctotal economic impact\u201d of its Connecticut-based positions will be about $50 million in 2022.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey\u2019re an innovative company, which is going to be good for Connecticut,\u201d said state Rep. Daniel Fox, D-Stamford, one of the officials who attended a press conference last week at 677 Washington<\/a> to welcome PMI.<\/p>\n

PMI is not receiving state subsidies to move to Stamford. But its move followed extensive discussions involving company officials, Lamont and other members of his administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of my strong criticisms of the tobacco industry, I am glad that Stamford is a highly attractive destination for businesses of all kinds,\u201d said state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford. \u201cI look forward to continuing to work to help make it even more so.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Rep. David Michel, D-Stamford, said backing the company\u2019s move did not indicate that he and other officials condoned smoking or that they endorsed the business practices of every company operating in the city. He cited, for instance, his disapproval of two major firms based in his district: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma<\/a>, which is headquartered at 201 Tresser Blvd., and Building and Land Technology, which is the developer of the mixed-use Harbor Point complex in the city\u2019s South End.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am glad empty offices are being filled in Stamford and surely hope the staff and families will live and thrive in our great city,\u201d Michel said in an email.<\/p>\n

The future of smoke-free products<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

PMI\u2019s relocation has sparked greater scrutiny in Connecticut of the company\u2019s position as one of the world\u2019s largest tobacco producers. It shipped more than 628 billion cigarettes around the world in 2020 \u2014 down 11 percent from 2019, but still accounting for the majority of it nearly $29 billion in revenues last year. Its brands include Marlboro, L&M, Chesterfield, Philip Morris and Parliament.<\/p>\n

Worldwide, the tobacco epidemic results in more than 8 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PMI\u2019s \u201cproducts historically have not been safe. Its current products are concerning,\u201d said state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, a physician whose specialties include treating lung diseases and who serves as vice chairman of the state legislature\u2019s Public Health Committee. \u201cTheir future products should also be considered unhealthy, and their marketing should be taken with great skepticism.\u201d<\/p>\n

PMI does not sell or market its products in the U.S. Philip Morris USA \u2014 a subsidiary of Altria Group, from which PMI was spun off in 2008 \u2014 dominates the American cigarette market. Marlboro ranks as Philip Morris USA\u2019s top-selling brand.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., cigarette smoking is estimated to cause more than 480,000 deaths annually, including fatalities from second-hand smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Connecticut, \u201c4,900 adults die each year from their own smoking,\u201d according to the state Department of Public Health\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PMI officials do not deny the damaging effects of tobacco. They argue, however, that it would be counterproductive for the company to abruptly exit the cigarette market.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we pulled out, it\u2019s not that the market would disappear itself; others would walk in and fill that space,\u201d Deepak Mishra, president of the Americas region for PMI, said at last week\u2019s press conference. \u201cThe others in this case very often include illicit trade, which is loss of revenues for the government and probably not the right quality of products for consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mishra added that \u201cbeing in the cigarette business provides an infrastructure and channels to actually reach our smokers and convince them as we have done, with 20 million people already to convert to smoke-free products. If we left the business, we wouldn\u2019t have the ability to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials who attended the press conference said they accepted that argument.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a matter of weaning themselves off (cigarettes). It isn\u2019t something that they\u2019re going to be able to just do right away,\u201d said state Sen. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford. \u201cThey realize the harm of cigarettes.\u201d<\/p>\n

PMI\u2019s long-term strategy focuses on moving away from cigarettes and focusing on smoke-free products such as the heated tobacco sticks sold under its IQOS brand. Smoke-free products accounted for nearly 30 percent of PMI\u2019s net revenues in the third quarter of 2021, and the company is aiming to become a \u201cmajority smoke-free company\u201d in net revenues by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n

IQOS products are available in 69 markets worldwide. Altria sells them in the U.S., through an exclusive license provided by PMI \u2014 with IQOS\u2019 American market now covering Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.<\/p>\n

PMI shipped about 76 billion heated tobacco sticks in 2020, up 28 percent from 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince there is no burning, the levels of harmful chemicals are significantly reduced compared to cigarette smoke,\u201d PMI says on its website<\/a>. \u201cOur studies on IQOS heated tobacco products are progressing rapidly and indicate that it has the potential to present less risk of harm compared to continued smoking for adult smokers who switch to it completely instead of continuing to smoke.<\/p>\n

By PMI\u2019s own admission, however, smoke-free tobacco is not harmless. Among the risks, IQOS products deliver nicotine, which is addictive.<\/p>\n