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We support strong and effective tobacco regulation. Cigarettes cause cancer and other serious diseases; the sale and use of tobacco products raise many concerns. Regulation can address those concerns, and it offers a long-term solution that benefits everyone.
We are keen to work with governments, public health authorities and other tobacco companies to agree on rules and regulations for our industry. We want to do what we can to respond to public health concerns and, at the same time, establish a stable business environment for our company.
"It can be difficult to create a regulatory environment for a product that is dangerous yet remains popular."
We want regulation that will require all tobacco manufacturers to responsibly market their products to adult smokers, to communicate the public health community's messages about the health effects of smoking, and to implement measures that help prevent youth smoking. Strong and effective tobacco regulation can help achieve these goals.
It can also address the issue of smoking in public. We believe that governments should regulate smoking in indoor public places. We even support total bans on smoking on public transport and in such places as schools, where there are children. In fact, we urge adults not to smoke around children.
Regulation should allow businesses to offer smokers a comfortable place to smoke, particularly in such places as hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and bars. In places where smoking is allowed, business owners should have some flexibility in deciding how best to reconcile the preferences of smokers and non-smokers. Even so, we support regulation that requires those business owners to provide their customers with information about the health effects of secondhand smoke.
It can be difficult to create a regulatory environment for a product that is dangerous yet remains popular. We believe that the best way to arrive at effective regulation is for governments, regulators, public health authorities and companies like ours to work together: regulation will benefit us all.
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