May 11, 2011 11:31 PM GMT
Spoken with the straight face of a current smoker, and the tone of an unapologetic purveyor of the biggest killer in America.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110511/ap_on_he_me/us_philip_morris_int_l_annual_meetingIn response, the often-unapologetic Camilleri said: "We take our responsibility very seriously, and I don't think we get enough recognition for the efforts we make to ensure that there is effective worldwide regulation of a product that is harmful and that is addictive. Nevertheless, whilst it is addictive, it is not that hard to quit. ... There are more previous smokers in America today than current smokers."
...
There are more 1 billion tobacco users in the world, according to the World Health Organization. While global figures are not widely available, the U.S. Public Health Service says about 45 percent of U.S. smokers try to quit each year, and only 4 to 7 percent of them are successful.