Philip Morris announced on Tuesday they want to eventually get out of the cigarette business.
It took many store mangers in West Palm Beach, like Peter Soreco, by surprise.
“It’s our biggest volume item in both stores,” Soreco said who manages the Clematis Street News Stand and the Market on Clematis.
There's no question cigarettes are bad for you.
“I’ve been trying to quit for a very long time now, probably a decade,” said Annie Priore.
But old habits die hard.
“Cigarettes are like one of the most addictive things," said William Conners. "Probably going to keep smoking them.”
The future in the tobacco industry lies with e-cigarettes, but customers have complained that they do not get as much nicotine from them.
“It’s not the same thing,” said Jamie Lapidus.
Philip Morris revealed their version of the future of smoking. It's called iQos, a smokeless cigarette. Instead of burning tobacco, iQos simply heats the tobacco. The result, according to the company, is that a person gets the same nicotine hit but with 90 percent less toxins.
Officials with the Florida Department of Health told WPTV on Wednesday, while they haven't tested iQos yet, there is no such thing as a healthy cigarette.
On Wednesday in West Palm Beach, most smokers WPTV asked couldn't see themselves use iQos. Their biggest complaint was the price of around $80 for the start up set.
“Oh no," Periore said. "I mean, a pack of cigarettes is about $5.”
“Not worth it for me,” Conners said.
For now, Philip Morris hasn't set a timetable of when they're planning to quit cigarettes. Only time will tell when the cigarette industry will go up in smoke.