[Intl-tobacco] What international scientific authorities say about light and mild cigarettes

[Robert Weissman]

The Non-Smokers’ Rights Association of Canada has posted a number of
useful fact sheets on light and mild cigarettes. For more, see their web
page at http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/english

What international scientific authorities say about ‘light’ and
‘mild’ cigarettes

Source: Non-Smokers’ Rights Association/Smoking and Health Action
Foundation, 2002-05-27, via tobacco.org
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/english/lmpconfmay2002/lmbackscience.html

In February 2000, the World Health Organization sponsored an
international conference in Oslo on tobacco product regulation,
bringing together experts from around the world, including Canada.
Their official recommendation:

“Governments are urged, individually or at a regional level, to
take the following actions:

*	Ban the use of misleading terms such as ‘light’, ‘mild’, and
other words or imagery (including certain brand names) which have
the aim or effect of implying a reduced health risk attributable to
low tar or nicotine measurements on tobacco products and in
advertising/promotional material. 

*	Remove tar and nicotine measures derived from ISO/FTC methods
from packages.”

 

In August 2001, an international panel of 12 experts on
epidemiology, cigarette design and marketing, and tobacco policy,
was convened in Hull to examine the science on ‘light’ cigarettes.
Key findings of the panel:

*	Finding 1: “There is no convincing evidence of a meaningful
health benefit to either individuals nor to the whole population
resulting from cigarettes marketed as ‘light’ or ‘mild’. Any false
perception of health benefit may exacerbate the tobacco epidemic as
it may delay quitting or increase initiation.” 

*	Finding 2: “[…] terms such as ‘light’ and ‘mild’ in tobacco
marketing in Canada are both false and misleading. Substantial
proportions of Canadians are being deceived in that they believe
these products deliver less tar and nicotine and are less harmful
to smokers’ health… Tobacco industry documents attest that one
consequence of this false representation is reduced propensity to
quit smoking.”

*	Finding 4: “We conclude that a complete prohibition of the use of
deceptive descriptors such as ‘light’ and ‘mild’ on cigarette
packaging and marketing is necessary to ensure that past deception
is redressed and ongoing deception is prevented.”

 

In November 2001, the U.S. National Cancer Institute released a
236-page monograph on so-called ‘low-tar’ cigarettes, with
participation and/or input from the world’s top epidemiologists on
tobacco issues. The monograph concluded:

“Epidemiological and other scientific evidence, including patterns
of mortality from smoking-caused diseases, does not indicate a
benefit to public health from changes in cigarette design and
manufacturing over the last fifty years […] For spontaneous brand
switchers, there appears to be complete compensation for nicotine
delivery, reflecting more intensive smoking of lower-yield
cigarettes.” [In other words, because of addiction, smokers get the
same dose of toxins from any brand of cigarette they smoke.]

References:

*	World Health Organization, Monograph: Advancing Knowledge on
Regulation Tobacco Products, based on presentations made at the
International Conference: Advancing knowledge on tobacco products,
held in Oslo, Norway, 9-11 February 2000, under the direction of Dr
Derek Yach, Executive Director, WHO Non Communicable Diseases and
Mental Health Cluster. 

*	Ministerial Advisory Council on Tobacco Control, Putting an End
to Deception: Proceedings of the International Expert Panel on
Cigarette Descriptors, January 2002. 

*	U.S. National Cancer Institute, Risks Associated with Smoking
Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine,
Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 13, 2001.