New Cigarette Regulations Go into Effect
In 2009, the tobacco industry officially fell under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and, for the first time, tobacco products became subject to federal regulation. As of June 22, cigarette manufacturers are no longer allowed to label their products as “light,” “ultra light,” “mild,” or “low tar.” The FDA has argued that these labels were designed to deceive consumers by suggesting that “light” cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes, or that the risk of cancer and other smoking-related diseases was lessened by choosing a “light” or “ultra light” cigarette. Tobacco companies counter by saying that the terms “light” and “mild” refer to the flavor of the cigarette in question, and should not be taken to mean anything about the safety level of the product.
But, will changing the name of a cigarette — for instance, from “Marlboro Light” to “Marlboro Gold” — really change Americans’ smoking habits, or prevent kids and teens from picking up the smoking habit?
Recent studies show that nearly 21 percent of all American adults smoke. More alarming, the CDC reports that about 3,000 kids under the age of 18 start smoking every day, and underage smokers account for 20 percent of all American smokers. One in five deaths in America is attributable to smoking. Given these alarming statistics, America has a vested interest in finding a way to limit smoking. What’s not clear, however, is how many people choose their cigarette based on a perceived lower risk from it, or how changing the labels will affect that choice.
Until I quit over 15 years ago, I was a pack-and-a-half a day smoker. My cigarette of choice was Camel Light. I did not choose my brand because I thought that light cigarettes would be less harmful to me than the full-strength version. Jokes about going to the doctor to be diagnosed with “light cancer” aside, I knew that my Camel Lights were just as dangerous as my father’s Vantages and my boyfriend’s Marlboro Reds.
Many of the women I knew in my small Midwestern town chose light cigarettes from various brands, and not a single one of us, if pressed, would have said we had chosen it to lower our risk of cancer. People choose a given cigarette brand for myriad reasons — taste, image, cost, availability — and none of these factors have a thing to do with perceived health risks. Americans know that cigarette smoking is dangerous, and we do it by the millions anyway. Labeling changes do not get at the core issue of why people pick up smoking and continue to smoke, even in the face of potentially deadly health consequences.
Most Americans will likely continue to smoke their favored brand, even if they have to ask for it a little differently at the gas station or tobacco shop. Much as raising prices on cigarettes did not significantly lower the smoking risk — in fact, the number of American smokers rose in 2009 — changing the labeling will not stop significant numbers of people from smoking.
While the labeling changes are a good step for truth in advertising, they do not get at the heart of why people smoke. The addictive nature of tobacco ensures that people are unlikely to stop simply because their cigarette pack changes or they have to ask for “Marlboro Silvers” instead of “Marlboro Ulta Lights.” Until we address the systemic causes of smoking in America, all the label changes, warning labels, and price hikes in the world won’t keep American smokers from lighting up.
