Tobacco giant set for smoke-free Australia

Tobacco giant Phillip Morris is committing to a “smoke-free” Australia, if laws are changed to allow the legalisation of lower risk smoking replacements.

Corporate Affairs Director at Phillip Morris, Patrick Muttart, told Neil Mitchell one of the reasons the company wants to get out of the business is that their product is killing people.

“We’ve accepted the harms caused by smoking for a very long time and its one of the reasons why we want to get out of the business,” Mr Muttart said.

“We want to transform our business, get out of the business of cigarettes.”

As reported in the Herald Sun, the company is set to push for changes to Austalian law to allow E-cigarettes containing nicotine to be imported for personal use.

“The consumer demand is there, we know that despite the fact that nicotine containing E-cigarettes are banned in Australia, you’ve had about 750,000 Australians try these products,” Mr Muttart said.

Click PLAY below to hear the full details

Meanwhile a Tasmanian doctor is putting forward a unique proposal get smokers to quit, by paying them.

Research Fellow with the Cancer Council Tasmania Dr Mai Frandsen told Neil Mitchell a successful trial was already underway in a Tasmanian hospital, involving pregnant women who were coming in for monthly check up.

“They say they’ve quit smoking, they blow into our machine and we make sure that they are indeed telling us the truth,” Dr Frandsen said.

“Then we give then a nice voucher to a department store.”

Dr Frandsen said the $50 vouchers were working, with researchers seeing “two to three fold in quit rates” to those who receive regular care as the hospital.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview with Dr Mai Frandsen