Last week it was announced that Philip Morris International is buying the Swedish snus manufacturer Swedish Match. The announcement was received with mixed feelings within the global harm reduction movement.
"It is worrying that PMI is buying the only tobacco company that has actually voluntarily stopped selling smoking tobacco. Especially as PMI will continue to sell cigarettes for the foreseeable future," said Atakan Befrits, INNCO Board Member.
PMI recently bought closer to 83 percent of the shares in Swedish snus manufacturer Swedish Match. The deal has attracted attention from many quarters. This week, the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations (INNCO), among others, published a press release criticizing the deal.
"We are appalled by the whole deal. PMI will now absorb the only tobacco company on earth that has voluntarily stopped making poison sticks - cigarettes." Says INNCO Secretary General Charles Gardner.
"Make snus accessible"
INNCO represents 37 NGOs from around the world and has long been critical of how the issue of harm reduction is handled, including by the WHO. Now they are setting high standards for Phillip Morris. PMI is taking over one of the world's oldest brands in the harm reduction tobacco products segment. This puts a lot of responsibility on the cigarette manufacturer, says INNCO.
"We demand that PMI and WHO do the right thing. PMI must assure us that the harm reduction products they are now buying will be available and affordable in low and middle income countries." Says Charles Gardner.
He argues that the responsibility should also lie with the World Health Organization (WHO) and local health authorities regarding the conditions for harm reduction as part of tobacco policy.
An independent player disappears
Similar thinking comes from Gerry Stimson, Director at Knowledge Action Change. KAC works to promote harm reduction for smokers at a global level. Gerry Stimson has long embraced snus as a driving factor behind Sweden's low smoking rate. He has also been active in getting snus legalized in the rest of the EU.
"I received the news with mixed feelings. I have always liked the fact that Swedish Match has been a small but independent, frontline player in the issue of harm minimization. Now they are being eaten up by a big company and that does not feel entirely positive. At the same time, I like the idea that PMI is actually investing in smoke-free products. I also hope for their ability to spread them globally." Gerry Stimson tells Vejpkollen in connection with a press conference on KAC's latest report "The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2022: The Right Side of History"
WHO methods are not working well
According to Gerry Stimson it is still difficult to predict the consequences of the deal. He is supported by his colleague Harry Shapiro, the author of the reports in the series Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, which is published every two years by KAC. Harry Shapiro notes that the shift from smoking to less harmful nicotine products is too slow, from a global perspective.
"Nearly 100 million people currently use nicotine harm reduction products, mainly e-cigarettes. This compares to 1.1 billion people who are still smoking, despite billions of dollars of efforts by the WHO and countries following WHO recommendations" says Harry Shapiro.
Snus can have a big impact
"In countries where neither smoking cessation interventions nor e-cigs are available, the availability of safer, smokeless tobacco products such as snus can bring about change," says Harry Shapiro.
This is particularly true in countries where tobacco farming is already an important part of the local economy.
"The deal can definitely have an impact on harm reduction around the world. This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries where smoking is very prevalent and few alternatives are available. Snus could play an important role in these countries. And PMI is one of the few companies with the financial muscle to change the conditions there. But it's too early to draw any conclusions yet," says Harry Shapiro to Vejpkollen.
