[MELBOURNE] - Philip Morris Australia has today welcomed the federal government's Budget announcement that it will develop an anti-smoking campaign, but says it doesn't go far enough in addressing the issue of smoking.
As part of the unveiling of the Budget 2019-20 this week, the federal government said it will "invest $20 million in a pivotal national anti-smoking campaign".
Philip Morris Australia Managing Director, Tammy Chan, said: "A national anti-smoking campaign in isolation may discourage non-smokers from taking up smoking, however, it is a worrying trend that despite some of the world's strictest tobacco control measures, smoking rates in Australia have remained relatively similar since 2013. For the three million Australians who will continue to use cigarettes, it may do very little, and so an alternative perspective is urgently needed."
"Undoubtedly, the best way for someone to avoid the risks of smoking-related diseases is to not start smoking at all, and for current smokers, the best option is to quit. However, it is clear that many of Australia's three million smokers will continue to smoke despite the known risks," Ms Chan said.
"All around the world, millions of adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke are abandoning cigarettes and switching to less harmful alternatives in the form of smoke-free products. Australia is the only Westernised democracy to effectively ban smoke-free products which are having a real impact on smoking rates all around the world," Ms Chan said.
The overwhelming body of independent scientific research shows that smoke-free products, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, which do not result in any combustion, generate up to 95 per cent lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.
"From New Zealand to Japan, the UK to Canada, governments have embraced smoke-free products as a meaningful way to reduce smoking rates, and many are already seeing the benefits of their policies," Ms Chan said.
"I strongly believe there is a real opportunity to reduce smoking rates in Australia through the legalisation and appropriate regulation of smoke-free products. Many companies now produce less harmful products for adult smokers: the missing piece of the puzzle is that policy makers and health experts in Australia are not relying on scientific evidence to engage in decision-making that is in the best interests of adult smokers," Ms Chan said.
"It's only through working together and having an informed discussion on how to reduce national smoking rates, including any regulation that is required to support such measures, that we can speed up the progress to a smoke-free world," she said.
