Altria's (MO) international unit to go out on its own

Wall Street has speculated for some time that Altria's (NYSE: MO) international units will be spun-off from its domestic tobacco operations. The company's board believes that this will allow overseas operations to work without the baggage of regulations and lawsuits that the firm faces in the US.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "the separate entity, for example, would be exempt from US tobacco regulations and out of reach of American litigators. Importantly, its practices would no longer be constrained by American public opinion, paving the way for broad product experimentation." Put another way, the international operations will be able to make stronger, and perhaps more dangerous tobacco products, for large markets in Europe and Asia.

China will be a major target for the new public company to be called PMI. Other large markets the company will focus on include Indonesia and Pakistan.

The Altria international operations are about four times as large as those in the US. That alone may make the case for the company to be independent.

But, at the end of the day, the name of the game is selling much stronger cigarettes to people who want them in markets where regulation is lax. A good way to make money, but bad for the lungs.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.