For a school project, we were prompted to take action and create a policy change that concerns an issue that we have developed an active interest in. The topic that we have chosen to research is the advertising and sale of “light” cigarettes, which have been in circulation since the 1970s. Tobacco companies have been promoting “light” cigarettes that allegedly have a lower tar and nicotine content than regular cigarettes. If you did not know, The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act prevents tobacco companies from using false advertising on cigarette packages and required that warning labels be present on every box. However, companies still evade this rule by color-coding the different types of cigarette packs according to how “healthy” they are—darker colors symbolize traditional cigarettes, while silver and white colors represent a light alternative. In reality, light cigarettes are only different in that they have a filter on the end to prevent excessive smoke inhalation. They are tested out on “puffing machines” that determine the nicotine and tar content for the FTC. The flaw in this is that a machine is not an accurate way to measure the average smoke intake of a human. Most smokers simply compensate by taking bigger puffs. The filter vents are uncovered when cigarettes are smoked on the machines. However, filter vents are placed just millimeters from where smokers put their lips. Smokers block the vents, which actually turns the light cigarette into a regular cigarette.
Although it is generally accepted that all cigarettes have the same detrimental health effects, it is still important that consumers are well informed about their choice. In a 2008 survey, newspaper advertisements and craigslist.org postings directed interested, current smokers to a survey website. Eligible participants were shown an array of six cigarette packages (altered to remove all descriptive terms) and asked to link package images with their corresponding descriptive terms. Participants were then asked to identify which pack in the array they would choose if they were concerned with health, tar, nicotine, image, and taste. Smokers overwhelmingly chose the ‘whitest’ pack if they were concerned about health, tar, and nicotine. If you can recall, the lighter packages are “healthier” for the smoker. Clearly, the removal of descriptor terms, but not the color-coding is ineffective and a new policy needs to be in place. As of 2012, Australian laws mandating plain drab packaging of tobacco products have taken full effect. This means that every cigarette package is required to look the same, making it impossible to differentiate between so called “light” and regular cigarettes. We suggest that similar laws should be in place in the US in order to promote honest business without the subliminal use of color-code.