Year of the ‘unsmoke’

Philip Morris International this week launched the “Year of the Unsmoke,” a call to action to smokers, nonsmokers, policymakers, and regulators to drive better future for the 1.1 billion smokers worldwide. This call to action came after the World Health Organization predicted that there will still be the same number of people smoking in 2025 as do today, despite global efforts to encourage quitting.

“It should be crystal clear: If you don’t smoke, don’t start,” said Jacek Olczak,  PMI’s chief operating officer.

“If you smoke, quit. If you don’t quit, change. That’s unsmoking. It is a fact that burning generates the vast majority of harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Eliminating the combustion dramatically reduces the levels of harmful chemicals. There is a growing consensus among scientists and public health experts that products that do not burn and are backed by science are a much better choice than cigarettes.”

The “Year of the Unsmoke” will drive conversations around the importance of going smoke-free. “To enable people to make an informed choice about the better alternatives that are available to them is the right thing to do,” Olczak said.