« We do not want to attract young people to electronic cigarettes » just declared Johan Vandermeulen, the No. 2 of the global giant BAT (British American Tobacco) in an exclusive interview for the newspaper L’Echo. If the person responsible for Big Tobacco has the mission of managing the transformation of the cigarette giant into a group offering smokers less harmful alternatives than tobacco, progress is being made discreetly with tweezers.
“DETERMINED TO BRING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SMOKERS!” »
BAT (British American Tobacco) is a group with a turnover of £27,6 billion and employs 52.000 people worldwide. Johan Vandermeulen, the No. 2 of the global giant declares in the Belgian newspaper Echo that it is fully committed to the transition from tobacco to less harmful alternatives.
With its strategy “ A Better Tomorrow“, British American Tobacco hopes to make a difference. In his interview, Johan Vandermeulen reminder to begin with that “ the problem is not nicotine, but tobacco combustion"
A hope and objectives since BAT aims “ to reach 50 million consumers by 2030 and we are on track to get there. We need help from governments to explain to consumers how these alternatives are better than continuing to smoke."
And the number 2 of British American Tobacco reveals his company's ambitious plan:
« The European Union would like to achieve a tobacco-free society by 2040; we can get there if we work together. Sweden gives us a good example. 25 years ago, the share of smokers in the population was comparable to that of Belgium; today, it has fallen to 5,6% of the population there. Sweden will likely be the first smoke-free European country. To achieve this, they encouraged consumers to prefer vaping or snus.
We plead for the same to be done in other countries, including Belgium: to authorize these three alternative categories, in order to reduce the number of smokers there. From this point of view, Belgium's decision to ban nicotine sachets since October is very disappointing. This is a missed opportunity. I regret that the Minister of Health took this decision without waiting for the opinion of the Superior Health Council and despite the opinion of the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, which was positive for nicotine sachets. We need a policy that is based on science and not on emotion. "
To justify his ambition, Johan Vandermeulen specifies that “Fearing and banning have always only resulted in people continuing to smoke. ".
