Reynolds American Inc., makers of Camel cigarette, prohibits smoking in its buildings and offices.
The company informed its employees Wednesday that smoking will be banned starting next year. The country's second largest tobacco company will prohibit the use of normal cigarette, pipes and tobaccos in employee desks, offices, hallways, corridors and conference rooms. Smoking is already prohibited in the fitness center, cafeterias and the factory floors.
Spokesman David Howard said the policy will take effect once Reynolds finish building an indoor area for those who want to continue smoking indoors.
Howard said, "We believe it's the right thing to do and the right time to do it because updating our tobacco use policies will better accommodate both non-smokers and smokers who work in and visit our facilities." He said that they're aligning their policies based on what they observe from society.
However, smokeless tobacco products such as moist snuff, electronic cigarettes, and "snoose" are still allowed. The use of Eclipse, a Reynolds-made carbon tip that heats the tobacco after being lit with a lighter, is also allowed. It's first released in the 1990's and continues to be one of the most popular products in the company's Winston-Salem, North Carolina, headquarters among employees.
According to the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 18% of the adult Reynolds employees are smoking. This figure aligns with the usual rate of employees smoking in other U.S. companies.
The nation's biggest cigarette producer, Virginia-based Altria Group Inc., prohibits smoking in factory floors and in elevators and hallways. Though employees with separate offices can smoke on their desks, there are separate smoking areas in cafeterias, office buildings, and conference areas.
Reynolds American Inc. wholly owns R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which produces crowd favorite Camel cigarettes. The brand of cigarette was launched in 1913. Most of Camel cigarettes now contain Turkish tobacco and Virgina tobacco.
