“Light” Cigarettes Not Really “Light”
Light products stand out like a beacon in the night to health conscious
shoppers. Smokers can be concerned about their health too, and many smokers
became worried in the 60's and 70's when government reports started linking
smoking with cancer.
Tobacco companies like Philip Morris responded by producing light cigarettes
such as Marlboro Lights. And smokers responded to these new products by snapping
them up instead of quitting. However, there was nothing "light" about
these new cigarettes. In fact, many studies showed light cigarettes had more
harmful ingredients than regular cigarettes. Worse, companies like Philip Morris
knew this information but declined to share it with the public.
“Light” Cigarettes Should Be Banned
Light cigarettes are a form of distortion and they grossly mislead the public. The American public associates the word “light” with health benefits and less harmful ingredients. It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that light cigarettes actually contain more harmful ingredients than regular or full-flavor cigarettes. The marketing lies must stop.
Already, the European Union and Ottawa, Canada have banned the word “light” and other descriptors such as ultra-light, and mild from cigarette packaging and advertising.
Below are links for articles on bans implemented by the European Union and Canada: