For years, health groups have been aware that tobacco products labelled "light" and "mild" are every bit as harmful as other tobacco products. Tobacco companies have been aware since the 1960s  that these products were dangerous, yet continued to promote them as a “safer” alternative for health-concerned smokers.

There's also emerging evidence in the US that women may be more adversely affected than men by cigarette smoking, and have higher lung cancer mortality rates, partly as a result of the fact that many of them smoke “light” cigarettes.

British American Tobacco has on its records documents from 1994 which state under the heading “Opportunities”  that  “Young smokers, particularly females 18-34… associate strongly with Lights descriptors.”

The tobacco industry's "Light" and "Mild" scam was a major consumer fraud. The industry's behaviour was misleading and deceptive - as found by  the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which examined the matter at the direction of the Senate after strong representations from ASH and other health groups. As a result, “light” and “mild” brands have been banned from further production, and a public information campaign has warned consumers that these types of cigarettes are as harmful as other cigarettes. 

AIMS

These are the further measures health groups would like to see the ACCC and the Federal Government bring about:

1. Take further appropriate legal action against the industry to obtain more substantial relief designed to counterbalance the injury and harm, to secure penalties that are commensurate with the size of the problem and to facilitate recovery of appropriate compensation.
    
2. Investigate a ban on filter ventilation, which is the principal means by which this fraud has been perpetrated; 
   See  the filter  - photo by Kathy Barnsley, Smokefree Tasmania
   
3. Remove FTC/ISO yields on the side of cigarette packets as they are both meaningless and misleading; 
    
4. Following on the initial education campaign at the beginning of 2006, implement a large-scale sustained national education campaign, funded by the tobacco industry but managed by health authorities, to reduce the number of smokers who believe lights confer a health benefit from 55% to around 5%; and
    
5. As assistance with quitting is a key component of any counter-advertising campaign, Quitline services should be reimbursed by the tobacco companies for the costs associated with the increased demand. 

Why not write to the ACCC supporting these aims?  ACCC contacts 

LATEST NEWS

Smokers "abused, manipulated" for decades: Lancet report
9/2/06: ASH Australia has called for effective regulation of tobacco content and stronger industry accountability, after a new report in The Lancet showed how the industry fooled smokers for 30 years that “low yield” cigarettes were healthier than regular brands.  See  ASH media release 9/2/06

In Australia, the new media campaign on “Light” and “Mild” cigarettes hit the air on Dec 26 – aimed at correcting the misled view of most smokers that light or low-tar cigarettes are healthier than other brands. The campaign is the result of an ASH-initiated ACCC inquiry which found the tobacco companies’ conduct was “deceptive” and “misleading”, and ordered an end to the terms on packets by March this year.

Unfortunately the ads are not available online in any form.  See most recent Quit media release – find Dec 26

Big Tobacco ran this deadly consumer scam for decades (see latest evidence in Lancet report, Feb ‘02  and see also  Lancet media release 8/2/06). But the major tobacco companies reluctantly put just $9m towards the campaign to correct their deception (compare this with their $19m a year haul from illegal underage sales in Australia alone)!

Imperial let off the hook by ACCC as "Lights/Milds" stay on sale  
24/8/05: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has allowed Imperial Tobacco until March next year to remove deceptive and misleading "Light" and "Mild" tobacco brands - and won't ask the company to pay one cent in public education or compensation for the scam.  See Quit/VCTC release 24/8/05

ASH had urged stronger action by the ACCC after purchasing Light and Mild brands (both Imperial and BAT) three months after the ACCC's deal with BAT and Philip Morris.   See ASH / Cancer Council Australia release 23/8/05      See article in Crikey.com 23/8/04

ACCC ends misleading light/mild conduct but $8m not enough  
12/5/05: ASH release on how the tobacco giants got off Lightly after its massive consumer scam.  See also  ACCC media release 11/5/05  and  details of the agreement - click "browse 2005" and spool down to May 10 and May 11     See Democrats (Sen. Allison) release 12/5/05 

Note that of the AIMS above, the ACCC decision partly addresses nos. 2 and 5, but not at all nos. 1,3,4 or 6.

From "light & mild" to "smooth & fresh" - but not "deadly & addictive" !
20/2/05: The tobacco industry in Australia is quite unapologetic despite being found by the ACCC to have misled consumers with "light" and "mild" cigarette labels. In fact, Big Tobacco has bounced straight back to suggest they now be allowed to call their products "smooth" and "fresh".  See The Age, report and editorial 20/2/05

Democrat Senator Lyn Allison (see above under "ACCC ends...") put the spotlight on the ACCC’s lengthy investigation into light and mild cigarettes during an Estimates Committee meeting on 17 February 2005. See her grilling of Mr Samuels on pp E33-41 in Hansard.   

Canada grapples with "light" and " mild" cigarettes 
The Tobacco Industry let us believe that cigarettes labelled "light" and "mild" may not be as lethal as regular ones. Find out why we should ban the misleading terms "light" and "mild" cigarettes.

USEFUL RESOURCES

The low tar strategy and the changing construction of Australian cigarettes
King/Borland article in Nicotine and Tobacco Research (2003)

The Australian tar derby: the origins and fate of a low tar harm reduction programme
King et al in Tobacco Control (2003)

Use of and beliefs about light cigarettes in four countries
Borland et al in Nicotine and Tobacco Research (2004)

 

Read more damning evidence about tobacco industry deception in their own  Industry documents

See the industry's continuing record of deception at Tobacco industry news - latest on their many misdeeds, recent court cases, reports, internal documents and more.

See "Dear David, please tell us the TRUTH about tobacco" - our Tobacco Facts for the National Press Club with some tough questions for a Philip Morris executive who addressed the NPC (23/3/05).

Tips for taking tobacco action

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Page last updated on 23/3/06