French Anti-Smoking Committee Accuses the World’s Four Major Tobacco Companies of Joint Price Contro

　　【Global Times Comprehensive Report】According to an AFP report cited by France’s Le Figaro on January 25, France’s National Committee Against Smoking has filed a lawsuit accusing Swiss tobacco company Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro cigarettes; Japan Tobacco, maker of Camel cigarettes; British American Tobacco, maker of Lucky Strike cigarettes; and the UK’s Imperial Tobacco, maker of Gauloises cigarettes, of jointly and illegally controlling prices.

　　Yves Martinet, president of France’s National Committee Against Smoking, stated clearly that the committee has submitted the complaint to the Paris financial prosecutor’s office. Martinet pointed out that everything the world’s four major tobacco companies have done together was aimed at allowing cigarette prices to rise moderately without reducing cigarette consumption.

　　In addition, Martinet noted that the tobacco companies named in the complaint raised prices only slightly, roughly in line with inflation, and therefore did not change smokers’ behavior. He said that if the goal is to change smoking behavior, tobacco prices would need to rise substantially. (Intern translator: Yang Li  Editor: Wang Lilan)