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150+ Organizations Worldwide Renew Call on Governments:
Take Action to Prevent an Independent Philip Morris International from
Worsening the Global Tobacco Pandemic
<< Press Releases Home
Parent Company to Announce Timing of Spin-off Today
Barbados – In anticipation of the expected announcement
today of the timing of Philip Morris International’s spin-off, public health
organizations worldwide including the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados say
there is heightened urgency for governments to enact comprehensive laws to
control Philip Morris and other tobacco companies.
"The unleashing of Philip Morris International from Philip
Morris USA poses the risk that Philip Morris International will become even more
predatory in pushing its toxic products to young people worldwide," says Adrian
Randall, CEO of the Heart & stroke Foundation of Barbados "An independent Philip
Morris International, which is likely to be based in Switzerland, will no longer
feel constrained by public opinion in its home country and most important
market, the United States."
Altria/Philip Morris is the world's biggest multinational
tobacco corporation. Eighty percent of its sales are outside of the United
States. The company announced last August its intention to pursue the spin-off.
Today, Altria’s Board of Directors is expected to finalize the decision and
announce the timing of the spin-off, assuming required regulatory approvals.
More than 150 public health organizations in over 70
countries worldwide have endorsed a call on governments to adopt comprehensive
tobacco control measures to ensure that the spin-off of Philip Morris
International does not worsen the tobacco epidemic. Among other measures, they
are urging that governments ratify and strongly implement the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), ban the tobacco industry from lobbying or
working on legislation to implement the global treaty, and exclude tobacco
products from bilateral and multilateral trade and investment agreements. A list
of their demands is available at www.philipmorrisbreakup.org/calltogovs .
Here in Barbados the Heart & Stroke Foundation with other
NGOs is continuing to press for legislation to prohibit smoking in all public
places as mandated by Article 8 of the FCTC which Barbados ratified back in
2005. This recognizes the scientific evidence which unequivocally established
that exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability.
"An independent Philip Morris International based outside of
the United States will be immune to even the possibility of domestic regulation
in the United States or litigation in U.S. courts," said Anna White, of the
U.S.-based corporate accountability group Essential Action, "This has been a
real threat to Philip Morris International."
The litigation risk to Philip Morris International was
recently made apparent in the U.S. government case against the tobacco industry.
In that case, U.S. Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that Philip Morris and other
tobacco companies must stop using misleading terms like "light," "mild" and
"low" (as in "Marlboro Lights"). The tobacco industry has used these terms to
deceive smokers into thinking they are using a reduced risk product, when they
are not. Judge Kessler ruled that the prohibition on use of these misleading
terms extends to Philip Morris International. If an independent PMI had no
connection to the United States, the judge would not have been able to issue
this order.
"The World Health Organization projects that 10 million
people will die annually from tobacco-related disease by 2030, 70 percent in
developing countries," says Adrian randall "We must work to lessen this toll,
not allow an independent Philip Morris to make it worse."
For examples of what Philip Morris International has been up
to around the world, including targeting young children in Indonesia, go to:
www.philipmorrisbreakup.org/worldtour
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