Philip Morris International General Counsel Gives Expert Testimony at U.S. Commission Hearing on Global Threats Posed by Illi...
July 19 2017 - 10:02AM
Business Wire
Marc Firestone, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of
Philip Morris International (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM), today
appeared as an invited witness before the Commission on Security
and Cooperation to offer expert testimony in support of the
Commission’s objective of addressing the security and economic
threats posed by the illicit trade in tobacco. The hearing was held
on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The Commission is a bipartisan body of the United States
Congress with representation from the U.S. House of Representatives
and Senate.
“PMI has a clear business imperative to combat the problem of
the illegal tobacco trade and ensure our products are legally sold
in the market for which they are intended,” Mr. Firestone
stated.
He highlighted that the global illicit tobacco trade annually
deprives governments of 40-50 billion USD in lost tax revenue, a
figure greater than that of the illicit trade in oil, wildlife,
timber, arts and antiquities, and conflict minerals combined. Mr.
Firestone noted that “criminals are the only promoters of the
global illegal tobacco trade.”
“The revenues that governments and law abiding manufacturers
like PMI lose every year to the illicit trade in tobacco are huge,"
Mr. Firestone told Commission members. "However, the threat posed
to safety, security, and the rule of law in Europe, the United
States and around the globe is where the interests of our company
and the concerns of this Commission most pointedly intersect.”
Mr. Firestone emphasized the critical role cooperation between
industry, law enforcement, and government authorities can play in
tackling illicit tobacco, and outlined a series of concrete
measures that these groups could take to further reduce the flow of
illicit tobacco worldwide.
Joining Mr. Firestone on the expert panel were Dr. Louise
Shelley, founder and executive director of the Terrorism,
Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason
University, and Prof. David Sweanor, an adjunct professor at the
University of Ottawa and global tobacco control policy expert.
A copy of Mr. Firestone’s testimony is available here
About Philip Morris International Inc. (“PMI”)
PMI is the world’s leading international tobacco company, with
six of the world's top 15 international brands and products sold in
more than 180 markets. In addition to the manufacture and sale of
cigarettes, including Marlboro, the number one global
cigarette brand, and other tobacco products, PMI is engaged in the
development and commercialization of reduced-risk products
(“RRPs”). RRPs is the term PMI uses to refer to products that
present, are likely to present, or have the potential to present
less risk of harm to smokers who switch to these products versus
continued smoking. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in
product development, state-of-the-art facilities, and
industry-leading scientific substantiation, PMI aims to provide an
RRP portfolio that meets a broad spectrum of adult smoker
preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. For more
information,
see www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.
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