Millions of Americans smoke “low-tar,” “mild,” or “light” cigarettes, believing those cigarettes to be less harmful than other cigarettes. However people who switch to low-tar or light cigarettes from regular cigarettes are likely to inhale the same amount of cancer-causing toxins and they remain at high risk for developing smoking-related cancers and other disease.

Epidemiologic studies (studies that examine the relationship of risk factors to health and disease) in the late 1960s and 1970s found that smokers of lower-tar or filtered cigarettes had somewhat lower lung cancer risks than smokers of other cigarettes. This finding was particularly noteworthy because smokers in these studies had been smoking the reduced-yield cigarettes for only a relatively short period of time. It was predicted that as more smokers used lower yield products for longer periods of time, a greater benefit would occur and national lung cancer death rates would fall.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stated that “smoking ‘low tar’ or ‘light’ cigarettes does not eliminate the health risks of smoking. If you’re concerned about the health risks of smoking, stop smoking … There’s no such thing as a safe smoke.” As of today, there is no cigarette on the market which public health organizations endorse as offering “reduced risk.” If smokers are concerned about the risks of cigarette smoking, quitting is by far their best alternative for reducing those risks.

Because cigarette smokers have varying preferences, PM USA offers products with differing yields of tar and nicotine, as measured by machine methods. We believe that it is appropriate to differentiate our brands on this basis and that descriptors such as “light,” “ultra light,” “medium” and “mild” help communicate these differences to adult cigarette smokers.