PMI steps up lobbying against WHO restrictions on vaping

According to a report from tobaccoasia on the 16th, Philip Morris International (PMI) has recently launched a major lobbying campaign aimed at preventing countries from imposing strict measures on vaping and related products in response to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) initiatives. It is reported that PMI executives are urging employees to actively investigate various "political or technical connections and clues" in preparation for the upcoming 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to be held next month in Panama. They believe that the agenda of the WHO FCTC is essentially a "prohibitionist attack" on smoke-free products. PMI announced back in 2016 that it would gradually phase out traditional cigarettes and set up plans to achieve this goal through heated tobacco products, electronic vaping products, and nicotine pouches. PMI executives stated that if a "reasonable and constructive outcome" cannot be achieved, the WHO will irreversibly damage the historic opportunity for public health. They are calling for global action to jointly maintain reasonable regulation of smoke-free products to accelerate the decline in smoking rates.