NEW ZEALAND
Philip Morris International (PMI) plans to remove all its cigarettes from New Zealand shelves over the next few years.
According to James Williams, PMI’s New Zealand general manager, the company wants New Zealand to be its first cigarette-free market.
“There is no motivation, at all, from anybody within Philip Morris to keep selling cigarettes in New Zealand,” Williams said.
However, the company could not pull cigarettes from shelves immediately because that would only force smokers to buy from other manufacturers.
Williams also said PMI wanted to help the government achieve its smoke-free by 2025 goal, but the Ministry of Health refused to meet with him even after sending the agency six binders of scientific information.