Philip Morris is fighting for a smoke-free Denmark

By Janus Rasmussen, country manager, Philip Morris Denmark

You're most likely here on IQOS.com, because you've already switched from cigarettes to an alternative. I'm really pleased about that.

We're the people behind a smoke-free alternative and many other new technologies, who give smokers who don't want to stop smoking, new products that can potentially reduce the harm caused to them by smoking. You know the best thing to do is never to start smoking in the first place, and to quit if you've already started. But there are many – in fact just under 40% of all smokers in Denmark – who have no intention of doing so *.

An enormous task

At Philip Morris, we're not just working to transform ourselves as a company, but the industry as a whole, and to offer the many smokers who actually have no desire to stop smoking, better alternatives to enjoy tobacco and/or nicotine.

As a company, we've had to make some large and difficult decisions. Just consider this: The company that owns the world's largest brand of cigarettes, Marlboro, is now actively striving to move all smokers away from cigarettes. Can you think of anyone else who has taken such a huge step? It's a massive challenge, which we work on solving on a daily basis, partly because it's the right thing to do, and partly because we believe we can contribute to the solution!

Legislation changes are needed

However, we can't do it on our own. We see a need for at least four actions to successfully establish the start of a smoke-free Denmark. In this way, we can hopefully, in the long run, make sure cigarettes are completely removed – from all shelves.

1. We support restrictions on the sale of cigarettes and other smoking tobacco products in stores – and this also applies to the initiatives that many stores have already voluntarily taken to conceal cigarettes.
2. Cigarette tax should be increased. It’s crucial that smoking cigarettes becomes considerably less financially attractive. However, we need to also ensure that the price doesn't increase so much that it causes an increase in border trade and illegal cigarette sales.
3. We need to properly enforce the rules that already exist today. For example, it’s way too easy for young people under the age of 18 to buy tobacco products. That's why we need to develop a licensing system – a system that makes it possible to remove a shop's right to sell tobacco if it can't comply with the rules.

These three proposals are already issues that are being discussed. But we would like to see all smokers either stop smoking or change to a smoke-free tobacco product, such as IQOS. Therefore, we need to differentiate between products. An IQOS that emits an average of 90% fewer harmful substances compared to cigarettes, or for that matter an e-cigarette or chewing tobacco that doesn't contain the dangerous combustion either, should not be covered by the same legislation as cigarettes. As long as this is the case, and as long as smokers are not provided with real and objective information, unfortunately, many people will continue to smoke the product they are most familiar with, which is for most people, the most harmful product on the market: cigarettes.

Research and innovation

Philip Morris’ more than 400 researchers have been conducting pioneering research for over 10 years. IQOS is just the first product, and it’s under constant development, and our ongoing research means that we are learning more about the health risks every single month.

If you are interested in reading more, you can learn more at: PMI Science the website also features a more detailed description of how the technology behind IQOS works.

If you still have any questions or comments, you are welcome to call us on +45 80 32 27 27. If you’re already an IQOS user, we would be grateful if you left your feedback on Trustpilot.