World No Tobacco Day on May 31 underlined the tobacco industry's polished messaging that conceals commercial interests. Big Tobacco obstructs a tobacco-free future through health narrative hijacking with a strategic focus on vaping. Recent data indicated that cigarettes accounted for about 75% of Western tobacco giants' revenue in 2024, even as stock prices soared due to increased demand and rising prices. The industry’s real priorities were revealed when PMI's CEO dismissed the notion that vaping will replace smoking, highlighting the persistent challenge of cigarette consumption amidst global health efforts.
Big Tobacco continues obstructing progress by hijacking health narratives - notably through its calculated vaping shift in recent years. Despite its rhetoric on smokeless products, new data reported reveals that the tobacco industry remains firmly dependent on cigarette sales, which accounted for roughly three-quarters of Western tobacco giants' revenue in 2024. Moreover, Big Tobacco stocks are soaring, fueled by rising prices and continued global demand. Make no mistake - the tobacco industry has not used vaping as a tool for change, but as a hedge against decline.
Dropping any pretence concerning the industry's real priorities, PMI CEO Jacek Olczak recently admitted to The Financial Times that thinking "everyone will go to vaping (in order to quit smoking) is wrong." While global smoking prevalence has fallen from one in three adults in 2000 to one in five today, population growth has kept overall numbers high, with cigarette consumption remaining stubbornly persistent and above the global average in legacy markets like Europe.
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