When you surf the Philip Morris site with regard to quitting smoking, you end up here.
http://www.myclearhorizons.com/
This site surfs you slowly but steadily toward adopting the idea that Nicotene Replacement Therapy might be the way that you can avoid the health problems and social discomfort of smoking, but maintain your (many euphemisms for) addiction. It's a smart site, good security, invisible but inexorable design. It starts out as a "Yeay for you, you want to quit smoking" page and ends up saying that people who use Nicotene Replacement "REALLY want to quit." One link goes to a page full of ads, nonsense deadends. But ultimately they are planning on keeping their clientelle hooked for as long as possible.
Meanwhile Philip Morris's profits are expected "to grow, possibly even by double digits". Phillip Morris has more than half of the worldwide cigarette market. The stock is low right now because the company has lost in court, and there are more legal suits waiting in the wings. And it is true that they have hidden the truth in order to perpetuate the sweetest kind of business there is, that of drug dealer (and maybe pimp too). They are smart, because as long as they can keep the supply steady, demand is such that they will stay in business. Nicotene is strongly addictive. They will be able to pay off those who litigate and still have a booming business.
In 1998, Philip Morris earned $5.4 billion, or $2.20 a share, on sales of $74 billion.
http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_48/b3657010.htm
On January 27, 2003, Philip Morris Companies Inc. changed its name to Altria Group, Inc.
Altria owns 100% of Philip Morris USA.
Here's Phillip Morris trying to put you to sleep before you can find them guilty of keeping anyone hooked:
http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/cms/Products/Smokeless_Tobacco/Health_Issues/default.aspx
"Philip Morris USA supports a single, consistent public health message on the role played by smokeless tobacco product use in the development of disease in smokeless tobacco users, as well as smokeless tobacco product use and addiction. We believe that smokeless tobacco product users and potential smokeless tobacco product users should rely on the messages of the U.S. Surgeon General and public health authorities worldwide in making all smokeless tobacco product use-related decisions. In this section of our website, therefore, you will find information on these smokeless tobacco-related messages, as well as links to government and public health authorities, including the U.S. Surgeon General's reports related to tobacco."
Philip Morris owns Kraft, and an assortment of other familiar food brands. They also own 18 different cigarette brands and are now buying Drum tobacco. PM USA is the largest tobacco company in the US and has more MORE THAN HALF of the world tobacco market. Their high profits are due to gains in the developing world.
....However, Wall Street has consistently underestimated the legal threat to the tobacco industry over the years. "The problem is that nobody knows," says Yactman. Indeed, many investors -- even those who look for cheap stocks -- wouldn't touch Philip Morris no matter how low its price goes.
SUNSHINE STATE SCARE. "The potential liabilities are so huge that it is just not something we'd do," says veteran value investor Martin Whitman, portfolio manager of the Third Avenue Value Fund. "Sure, they've got great cash-flow businesses and great franchises," he says. He agrees that Philip Morris would be an incredibly cheap stock if not for its litigation risk. "But that's like saying I'd be a different person if I had a full head of light brown hair and was six-foot-seven," says medium-build, gray-haired Whitman. "That's not the case."
Meanwhile, tobacco sales are up in Indonesia, Pakistan and Mexico.
I wonder what societal factors correlate best with cigarette consumption?
Here's the site that Philip Morris sends you to if you say that you want to quit smoking:
http://www.myclearhorizons.com/
Legal additive to cigarettes:
Ammonia--- "lets you absorb more nicotene."
THE TEXT OF THE AD
If You're Going to Use
Nicotine Replacement Therapy or Zyban®
To get the most from nicotine therapies, use them properly.
Read the directions that come in the package, and follow your doctor's advice. Package inserts can be hard to read. Call your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about directions or side effects.
These products work best for people who are REALLY trying to quit. They work best as part of a planned program to quit, and with help from your doctor or clinic. Whether you're using the patch, the gum, or the nasal spray, never let it be your only coping tool. To quit for good, use the other ideas in Clear Horizons © to fight smoking urges, and to learn new ways of coping with tension, boredom, and pressure to smoke.
Do not use more than one form of nicotine replacement therapy at the same time without checking with your doctor. Other forms of nicotine and non-nicotine replacement therapies are being tested and may be available soon. Ask your doctor if any of these might be right for you.
IF YOU ARE USING NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY: DON'T START ANY OF THESE NICOTINE PRODUCTS UNTIL THE MORNING OF YOUR QUIT DAY and don't smoke once you start using patches, gum, nasal spray or inhaler.
IF YOU ARE USING ZYBAN®: see the instructions on the next page for starting 7-14 days before your quit day.
How to use nicotine gum:
Starting on your quit day, use one piece of gum every 1-2 hours. Add more pieces when you feel tense or on edge. Carry the gum with you all the time. Do not use more than 30 pieces of the 2 mg gum, or more than 20 pieces of the 4 mg gum, per day.
Chew each piece slowly. NOT like regular gum. Chew the gum until you can taste it, or feel a tingle in your mouth. Then stop chewing and "park" it between your cheek and gums until the peppery taste or tingle goes away. Then start chewing slowly again. Throw each piece away after 20-30 minutes.
Wait 30 minutes after eating or drinking to use the gum. Drinking liquids while using the gum reduces the amount of nicotine your body can absorb.
Chewing the gum too hard, too fast, or too long, and swallowing too much nicotine can cause a burning sensation in the mouth or throat, hiccups, upset stomach, or gas. If this happens, take the gum out, wait 15 minutes, then take a new piece and alternate between chewing it SLOWLY and "parking" it. Check with your doctor if you have any questions about these or other side effects.
Follow the directions that come with the gum or your doctor's advice about how long to use the gum. Start to cut back after 3 to 4 weeks. Page 42 gives you tips about cutting back. Work toward stopping the gum in 3 to 6 months.
Check the package insert for any support programs that may be offered through the manufacturer.
How to use nicotine patches:
Use a new patch every day! Don't skip a day. Be sure to buy more patches before you run out.
Wear your patch in a new place every day. Don't go back to the same place for 7 days. It is normal to have some redness and itching under the patch for 24 hours after it is removed. It you see a rash or swelling all over your body, take off the patch, wash the area where it was, and call your doctor. Switching to another brand of patch may help.
Ask your doctor about taking off the patch at night if you have trouble sleeping or abnormal dreams and you are using a 24-hour patch.
Check with your doctor if you are bothered by headaches, upset stomach or any other side effects.
If you find you are still smoking, take off the patch and call your doctor. Page 39 can help you quit again.
Check the package insert for any support programs that may be offered through the manufacturer.
How to use nicotine lozenges:
Click HERE for a page about Nicotine Lozenges that you can PRINT OUT.