Gay Forums - News & Politics - Philip Morris CEO: "It's not that hard to quit."

Philip Morris CEO: "It's not that hard to quit."

Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

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.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 6:37 AM GMT

Nicotine- like other drugs- effects everybody in different ways. Although it may take a lot of nicotine to get me addicted to tobacco, my neighbor may be a lifelong slave, should he decide to start smoking. That's a horrible statement for the head of a business to make. Shame on him.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 7:51 AM GMT

He's technically correct. It takes more work to buy a pack of cigarettes, open the pack, and light it, than to not do those things. If you look at the number of actions needed, smoking is "harder" than nonsmoking.

What do you think he's going to say? "Yes, I'm killing people and there's a place in hell reserved for me"?

QUOTE REPORT SPAM

McLukas

Posts: 33

May 12, 2011 9:05 AM GMT

Is that previous smokers today vs. current smokers statistic scewed by the fact that so many people have died due to lung cancer?

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:39 AM GMT

Alcohol is more addictive than nictotine and more harmful but I don't see any CEO's of alcoholic beverages brands take any responsibility for deaths caused by alcohol use.

And besides I believe that if you really want to quit you can. Alot of smokers just don't want to.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
alphatop

Posts: 1955

May 12, 2011 9:46 AM GMT

AnonymousBart saidAlcohol is more addictive than nictotine and more harmful but I don't see any CEO's of alcoholic beverages brands take any responsibility for deaths caused by alcohol use.

And besides I believe that if you really want to quit you can. Alot of smokers just don't want to.

Totally agree. And what about drug addicts? I've never heard late Pablo Escobar making such a statement. Or any drug cartel

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 11:52 AM GMT

Alcohol actually has medical benefits when used in moderation. Smoking has absolutely no redeeming properties.
And anybody that invokes not smoking to start with is denying the obvious--that until smoking is completely outlawed, there will always be smokers, and even then, just like drugs, there will be smokers that are hooked. Telling them falsely that it's not that hard to quit is not helping.

I have patients that smoke while using oxygen, not once, but several times, burning their faces. Most of them have wised up, not by quitting smoking, but by not using the oxygen while they're smoking!

And it's actually proven that sustained alcohol abstinence after quitting is about 50%, about 40-60% for drug use relapse, whereas relapse for smoking midyear is 93%!!

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 2:43 PM GMT

^ ^
- First of all I don't really think that you looked that up

- Second of all I would like to point out that there hae been several other statistic researches with different results

- And thirdly, relapse with tobacco rather than alcohol or drug use doesnt necessarilly mean it's harder to quit. It could also mean people care less about the health conseuqences of smoking because living in a large city has the same effect to your lungs due to smog. (which has also been proven and no it don't feel like looking up the study)

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 2:56 PM GMT

This is retarded, who cares. To say you don't know the dangers of smoking and the evil company forced you to get hooked is retarded, and childish. We are all adults here, some people enjoy smoking, so let them people. It's their body they can do what they want with it.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 2:56 PM GMT

He's right. It ain't that hard.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 3:22 PM GMT

Tazo995 saidHe's right. It ain't that hard.

It varies by individual. My late father quit in the 1950s, virtually overnight, when the health hazards of smoking were first being revealed. My poor mother never could quit, but wanted to, and my father was really rough on her about it. In the winter I'd find her hiding in the unfinished part of our basement at home, sneaking a cigarette.

I must have gotten my father's genes regarding nicotine. Early in my Army career I wanted to be like all the other guys who smoked, and it is indeed peer pressure and copy-catting that gets many started. Hell, the Army put 3 cigarettes in every one of our old-style C-ration boxes, like they were an essential part of your food.

For a year I smoked, especially at night in the NCO Club (for Sergeants), where everybody smoked. But I never got hooked. And finding it expensive (even without some of the taxes when purchased on a Federal installation), plus lacking pleasure for me and just being a burden I didn't need, I stopped and never did it again.

My late partner couldn't stop. We tried patches with him, and support groups, and nothing worked. He was seriously addicted, and wanted to quit very badly. He never did for more than a few months before relapsing. For some it is VERY hard to quit, a physical addiction, not purely a matter of psychology or desire.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 8:24 PM GMT

For those who could quit smoking easily, good for you. You're in the minority.

For those who say it's an adult thing, just remember that the fastest growing segment of smokers is in young adults. Evidently all the right messages by the tobacco companies are not doing enough.

And yes, I have looked up those stats. The best smoking cessation rates I've seen is 15% at best.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 8:42 PM GMT

q1w2e3 saidFor those who could quit smoking easily, good for you. You're in the minority.

For those who say it's an adult thing, just remember that the fastest growing segment of smokers is in young adults. Evidently all the right messages by the tobacco companies are not doing enough.

And yes, I have looked up those stats. The best smoking cessation rates I've seen is 15% at best.

I don't give a shit how hard it is to quit. People make the choice to smoke. Period. You talk about how the information out today isn't enough to stop people from smoking, but did you ever stop and think that they enjoy cigarettes? There has been more outreach to educate people on smoking and assholes like you still try to force your agenda down peoples throats. It's like smoking brings this little joy to these young adults lives and you try to take it away, isn't that awesome?

How can you advocate living in a free country yet try to force decisions on people?

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
rnch

Posts: 11556

May 12, 2011 8:43 PM GMT

i never started.

too many other vices to deal with.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 8:51 PM GMT

Chainers said
I don't give a shit how hard it is to quit. People make the choice to smoke. Period. You talk about how the information out today isn't enough to stop people from smoking, but did you ever stop and think that they enjoy cigarettes? There has been more outreach to educate people on smoking and assholes like you still try to force your agenda down peoples throats. It's like smoking brings this little joy to these young adults lives and you try to take it away, isn't that awesome?

How can you advocate living in a free country yet try to force decisions on people?

The little "joy" that smoking brings to these young adults is all fabricated by ads and social mores shaped by cigarette companies with their propaganda.

It does not compensate for the years of suffering that comes from smoking, the societal cost of treating this suffering that is completely preventable. Their freedom of smoking is forcing us as a society to pay for their mistakes. Estimates of direct costs for treating smoking associated conditions is $100 billion a year, and another $100 billion for productivity lost.

It's not a matter of forcing people to do the right thing, it's a matter of making them do the right thing easier.

Are you a smoker, Chainers?

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 8:58 PM GMT

q1w2e3 said
Chainers said
I don't give a shit how hard it is to quit. People make the choice to smoke. Period. You talk about how the information out today isn't enough to stop people from smoking, but did you ever stop and think that they enjoy cigarettes? There has been more outreach to educate people on smoking and assholes like you still try to force your agenda down peoples throats. It's like smoking brings this little joy to these young adults lives and you try to take it away, isn't that awesome?

How can you advocate living in a free country yet try to force decisions on people?

The little "joy" that smoking brings to these young adults is all fabricated by ads and social mores shaped by cigarette companies with their propaganda.

It does not compensate for the years of suffering that comes from smoking, the societal cost of treating this suffering that is completely preventable. Their freedom of smoking is forcing us as a society to pay for their mistakes. Estimates of direct costs for treating smoking associated conditions is $100 billion a year, and another $100 billion for productivity lost.

It's not a matter of forcing people to do the right thing, it's a matter of making them do the right thing easier.

Are you a smoker, Chainers?

No, Im not, smoking is fucking retarded. I think that only idiots smoke cigarettes.

But, ya know what, that is my choice, that is not theirs. I respect their freedom to light up a cigarette every now and then, or even a carton a day, if that is what they want.

What is this propaganda your talking about? This isnt the 50s, tobacco companies cant advertise anymore. All this "propaganda" is in your head. The anti-tobacco company does more propaganda than the fucking tobacco companies do.

You guys use these power words to exploit peoples fears instead of looking at the facts. This is a company that makes a product that people enjoy. Because YOU dont enjoy it, you have made it your damn mission to make sure everyone else doesnt enjoy it as well. Because things like facts are irrelevant at this point, you use words that people dont like, such as propaganda, instead of accepting the fact that other people out their have a different opinion on the damn product.

For the love of god people, alcohol kills, yet your not on a crusade against that.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:02 PM GMT

It is their choice to smoke but it is also my choice of whether or not I want to stay around them or not. It their choice to drink but it also my choice of whether or not I want to associate myself with drinkers.

Second-hand smoke CAN cause problems. Just as much as they have the right to smoke and harm their bodies, I have the right to protect my own health from their actions.

So, do I think it's stupid to smoke? Yes.
Do I force them not to? No.

Do I tell them to get the fuck away from me or Do I move myself away from them? Yes to both depending on the situation.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:02 PM GMT

To Phillip Morris CEO.........Stop Selling The Shit!!!
(It's not that hard...)

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:04 PM GMT

Chainers said
What is this propaganda your talking about? This isnt the 50s, tobacco companies cant advertise anymore. All this "propaganda" is in your head. The anti-tobacco company does more propaganda than the fucking tobacco companies do.

Think for a sec why the anti-tobacco groups have to do as much "propaganda" as they have to do, and the smoking prevalence rate is still 20% in the US. Next time you notice a cigarette on TV or in the movie, notice the context.

Yes, alcohol kills too, but not nearly as much. And I see the effects of alcohol too on patients. But by FAR tobacco kills more.

You call it enjoyment, I call it addiction. Get rid of the nicotine, see how much people will "enjoy" their cigarettes.

I'm just saying, for the CEO of a company to make a brazenly false statement in defense of a known hazardous substance that happens to be legal but kills more people than anything else on the market, that just reflects something about the society that allows him to make such a statement.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:06 PM GMT

turbobilly saidTo Phillip Morris CEO.........Stop Selling The Shit!!!
(It's not that hard...)

QFT!

I'd like to see the CEO quit his habit of earning money off this product! I bet he's addicted to cash & stocks! It's not that hard to quit, though...just ask the 6 or 7 million people who lost jobs in this recession!

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:07 PM GMT

_Mohammed_ saidIt is their choice to smoke but it is also my choice of whether or not I want to stay around them or not. It their choice to drink but it also my choice of whether or not I want to associate myself with drinkers.

Second-hand smoke CAN cause problems. Just as much as they have the right to smoke and harm their bodies, I have the right to protect my own health from their actions.

So, do I think it's stupid to smoke? Yes.
Do I force them not to? No.

Do I tell them to get the fuck away from me or Do I move myself away from them? Yes to both depending on the situation.

Good, that is what you should do.

The only thing you can control is yourself.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:08 PM GMT

This happened about 4 days ago.

56 year old white female vacationing in the area comes in with difficulty in breathing . I find out she has chronic asthma.

While I am speaking to her:

Me: Ma'am what were you doing when you first had trouble breathing?

Her: I was smoking. But I stopped and came here when I couldn't breather right no more.

Me: Why didn't you use your inhaler?

Her: I couldn't bring it with me.

Me: You have chronic asthma. Why couldn't you bring it?

Her: My husband told me I could bring either my cigarette pack or my inhaler.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:12 PM GMT

q1w2e3 said
Chainers said
What is this propaganda your talking about? This isnt the 50s, tobacco companies cant advertise anymore. All this "propaganda" is in your head. The anti-tobacco company does more propaganda than the fucking tobacco companies do.

Think for a sec why the anti-tobacco groups have to do as much "propaganda" as they have to do, and the smoking prevalence rate is still 20% in the US. Next time you notice a cigarette on TV or in the movie, notice the context.

Yes, alcohol kills too, but not nearly as much. And I see the effects of alcohol too on patients. But by FAR tobacco kills more.

You call it enjoyment, I call it addiction. Get rid of the nicotine, see how much people will "enjoy" their cigarettes.

I'm just saying, for the CEO of a company to make a brazenly false statement in defense of a known hazardous substance that happens to be legal but kills more people than anything else on the market, that just reflects something about the society that allows him to make such a statement.

Thank you for admitting that they do propaganda. I do look out for it, I haven't seen smoking glorified in years man. Hollywood isn't stupid, they know how to cater to retards to get a buck or two.

The fact of the matter is it is peoples choice to smoke or not, and you guys sitting on your high horse need to get the fuck off and let them smoke. There is so much information out there, I highly doubt people are choosing, and I want to emphasis this, CHOOSING to start smoking because the big old evil tobacco companies are brainwashing them, and forcing it down their throat.

People drinking can effect others as well. There are those on this forum who have had loved ones lost due to drunk drivers. How about the financial effects of having an alcoholic in the family?

I get it, you dont like cigarettes. Now you need to get it, tobacco isnt as evil as you think, and as long as people want to smoke, they will.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:12 PM GMT

[quote]Alcohol actually has medical benefits when used in moderation. Smoking has absolutely no redeeming properties./quote]

Not true.

http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/news/20060811/nicotine-slows-parkinsons-disease

QUOTE REPORT SPAM
Posted by a hidden member.
Log in to view his profile

May 12, 2011 9:16 PM GMT

Yeah, there's a whole page of benefits of smoking on wikipedia, and I've seen it with ulcerative colitis and Parkinson's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_benefits_of_smoking

But the way that people are lured to smoking, there's no way they could be doing it for those benefits.

Is it not better to just use the nicotine to achieve those effects without the tar? You betcha.

QUOTE REPORT SPAM

Forums > News & Politics Forum Rules

Philip Morris CEO: "It's not that hard to quit."