We all know that cigarettes are very, very bad for you. They cause numerous health problems and have all sorts of harmful ingredients. Yet inexplicably, people have continued to use them for ages, despite the warnings on the package, which now basically read: YOU WILL DIE IN LIKE… 5 MIN IF YOU TOUCH THESE. Recent news from Philip Morris International (PMI), however, may leave Marlboro smokers with no choice but to quit.
PMI recently announced a decision to go smoke-free. That’s right, the Marlboro Man is dismounting from his high horse in favor of healthier options. The company is already working on alternatives to smoking which, according to its Web site, “do not contain smoke, but do have the nicotine and taste that can satisfy existing smokers.” While some would have hoped this meant a turn to cannabis, PMI plans to deliver healthier options to consumers by eliminating the burning of tobacco leaves altogether, and producing a “nicotine-containing vapor.” Consumers will have choices between heated tobacco products — those that heat the leaves electronically (the IQOS), and those that use a carbon heat source (TEEPS) — and products that ditch the tobacco altogether — e-vapor products called “MESH” and “STEEM.” (No word on why everything is in all caps, though.) They claim that the decrease of noxious chemicals will be 95%.
“We understand the millions of men and women who smoke cigarettes,” the company said in a statement. “They are looking for less harmful, yet satisfying, alternatives to smoking. We will give them that choice.”
This is a pretty huge deal for the company because, well, can you even think of anything else Philip Morris makes right now besides burning cigarettes? The move away from lightable cigs is a huge leap of faith for them, and obviously a sign of the times.
