Final Word from Tuesday, September 26, 2023

In a new ad for Iqos that doesn't mention Iqos, Philip Morris ČR calls on people to "join the more than 500,000 former smokers who have put aside cigarettes and made a change." The ad directs people to a website that doesn't mention Iqos but that contains information about smokeless products. Dr. Eva Králíková, a leading expert on addiction, said near the end of ČT24's Hyde Park Civilization on Sat. that the health risk of heated-tobacco products is close to that of smoking cigarettes. She added that almost all patients who have switched mainly to Iqos agree that they increased their consumption and have a harder time quitting. Iqos is probably a "very strong addictive form," she said. Perhaps it's the higher sugar content, as we noted in the Friday Edition five years ago. The favorable tax treatment of heated products is no doubt reducing the amount of smoke in the air and lungs, but at the cost of higher addiction, which isn't exactly the way Philip Morris sells Iqos in its ads that don't mention Iqos. [ Czech Republic sweet Czech TV Television advertisement ]