🚬 The End of the Tobacco Industry?
The tobacco industry has been successfully selling death for ages. But how long has it got?
That's how much tobacco related deaths and diseases cost India in 2017-18.
This is approximately 1.04% of India's GDP.
We can't afford this loss anymore. So our lawmakers have decided to reduce tobacco consumption.
Their idea: Stop the sale of loose cigarettes.
But weirdly, cigarette companies and their investors are happy with this news. Shares of ITC, India's biggest cigarette maker, rose after this news.
You see, smoking is addictive. This law won't be enough to stop smokers. So, they will now end up buying full packs, increasing consumption.
Tobacco Companies: 1, Government: 0.
Will tobacco companies keep winning like this?
Let's take a look.
👀 The Sketchy History of Big Tobacco
Big Tobacco has become successful in the business of selling death. How?
Simple: they lied.
When cigarettes first came out, Big Tobacco claimed they were good for your health. Yes, apparently they helped with everything from stress to weight loss.
But soon, news started floating around that cigarettes could lead to lung damage. What now?
Simple: they got doctors and scientists to lie for them.
Yes, you could have doctor-recommended cigarettes!
Well, lies don't last long.
Eventually, these companies admitted all their white lies:
Yes, tobacco is bad for us
Yes, nicotine in cigarettes is addictive
Yes, even secondhand smoke is super dangerous
Yes, there is no 'safe' cigarette. All of them are extremely bad for your health
Alas, the damage was already done. People were already addicted, and they couldn't quit now!
Now, this meant more business for cigarette companies. They kept innovating newer and cooler-looking cigarettes for the younger generations.
For instance, they developed clove and menthol cigarettes that taste like mint to get younger people hooked to cigarettes.
And then came the revolutionary *sarcasm alert* vape pen.
😵💫 The New Deadly Vape
A vape pen is an electronic cigarette, but with no tobacco. All it contains is nicotine and lots of flavoured liquids.
So you can get the high of smoking without…
A high risk of cancer (because no tobacco)
The bitter taste of cigarettes
Great?
Nope, nah, a big fat NO!
There's another villain hidden here: nicotine.
Nicotine spikes your blood pressure and puts you at the risk of a heart attack.
No matter what you smoke, the simple act of burning something and inhaling its smoke is dangerous for you.
Literally, there is no safe cigarette.
And the world is realising this every single day.
🚭 Actions Against Tobacco
Many countries have taken steps to reduce smoking.
Bhutan has taken the strictest action against smoking: it has completely banned all tobacco products.
New Zealand has taken the next best step: Anyone born after 2008 will not be sold cigarettes ever. So, a generation will never be introduced to cigarettes.
The EU has banned flavoured cigarettes that get children addicted and the US is also planning something similar.
The US has also asked companies to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes so they are no longer addictive.
In spirit, all of this is great. But in reality, this will be just as ineffective as India's proposed law banning sale of single cigarettes. Huh?
You see, all the cool young kids prefer vaping (47 countries have banned vaping).
Plus, a blanket ban won't help. Bhutan is still seeing illegal sales of tobacco products.
So, countries will have to get stricter with cigarette manufacturers, ban vaping, and maybe even shut down this whole industry.
It will save us, our money and our planet.
But easier said than done. A lot of economies run on the high taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products.
India alone earned Rs. 53,750 crores from taxes on tobacco products in FY21.
🔮 The Future of the Tobacco Industry
But that doesn't mean the tobacco industry is safe. And cigarette companies know this. So, cigarette giant Philip Morris has come up with a new product: IQOS.
What's that?
It is a tobacco heating device, key word: heating not burning.
The claim is that this device does not release harmful chemicals and gases that are bad for your lungs.
So, it is safer than cigarettes..
While this could be a good alternative for those who are trying to quit smoking, it is still harmful.
There are no 'safe' or 'good' cigarette alternatives. Yes, we dug and dug for hours to find one. But we found none!
Unless cigarette brands can actually come up with a cigarette alternative that is safe, they will perish in the next 30-40 years (a lot of cigarette makers are already seeing profits decline).
But despite the toxicity of this industry, companies have managed to stick around by lying. Will they repeat history?
⚡In a line: The tobacco industry has been lying to sell its products, but as countries get stricter with tobacco companies, its survival looks grim.
💡Quick question: What do you think the future of ITC will look like if India gets stricter on cigarettes?
Share this with your friends via WhatsApp or Twitter and help them grow!
See you tomorrow :)
If you are coming here for the very first time: Don’t forget to join us on WhatsApp to get daily updates! 👇