Nicotine with crème brûlée flavor: what price do we pay for e-cigarettes?

Фото: Рубрика

Марта Черничка

IQOS tobacco heating system, chewing tobacco from British American Tobacco, electronic devices from Juul Labs Inc… Don't be surprised that the word "cigarette" isn't mentioned in this list: marketers avoid using it because it's associated with too many unpleasant associations. It's not news that smoking causes catastrophic consequences, namely: 90% of deaths from lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, a significant increase in pressure, changes in skin structure, as well as destructive effects on the nervous system. No one disputes these well-known facts, not even the largest tobacco companies.

That's why you'll see not harmful "cigarettes," but "electronic smoking devices" on the shelves (although the difference between them may be small). With this method, multimillion-dollar tobacco corporations are trying to create the impression of a healthy alternative: new-fangled devices shouldn't make buyers associate them with the words "addiction," "cancer," "threat to health." It's easier to convince yourself that electronic devices contain only flavored water, isn't it?

Currently, world leaders in the nicotine niche, including British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, and the Altria Group, are actively promoting smoking cessation, as it's pointless to argue about the obvious threat to nicotine and tobacco. For example, the Altria Group has launched the Moving Beyond Smoking campaign, which aims to reduce the number of smokers, and the tobacco giant Philip Morris International has launched the Unsmoke Your Mind initiative. At first glance, it seems that companies whose main income is the sale of tobacco products put themselves at a disadvantage. However, let's not jump to conclusions and take a closer look between the lines of text on their websites.