Full Flavor. Medium. Mild. Light. Ultra Light. Philip Morris USA frequently describes cigarette brands using these descriptors that facilitate a smoker’s ability to distinguish among our cigarette products.
We use these terms to describe the strength of taste and flavor in our products. They also serve as a relative indication of the average tar and nicotine yield per cigarette (as measured by a standard government machine method) for a brand in order to distinguish it from others on the market.
Smokers should consider the following when choosing a cigarette product:
- A smoker should not assume that brand descriptors such as "light" or "ultra light" indicate with precision either the actual amount of tar and nicotine inhaled from any particular cigarette, or the relative amount as compared to competing cigarette brands.
- Some researchers report that smokers of "light" cigarettes inhale as much tar and nicotine as from full-flavor brands. The amount of tar and nicotine inhaled will be higher, for example, if a smoker blocks ventilation holes, inhales more deeply, takes more puffs or smokes more cigarettes.
- PM USA does not imply in our marketing, and smokers should not assume, that cigarette brands using descriptors such as "medium," "mild," "light," and "ultra light" are safe or safer than full-flavor cigarette brands.
- There is no safe cigarette. "Medium," "mild," "light" and "ultra light" cigarettes are no exception.
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."
The National Cancer Institute Monograph 13 press release includes a link to the full study: "Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine."
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.
