“Light” vs Regular Cigarettes

- The amount of tar and nicotine in all brands of cigarettes is determined by smoking machines which smoke all cigarettes in the same way.

- People do not smoke cigarettes like smoking machines and no two people smoke the same.

- The way the light cigarettes trick the smoking machines: The filters of these cigarettes have tiny pinholes in the filter. The filter vents draw in fresh air with the smoke and thus lead to artificially low values for tar and nicotine in the smoke.

- Smokers do not know that these vent holes exist. They are just a millimeter away from where smokers place the lips or fingers when they smoke a “light” cigarette. Many smokers occlude these holes thus turning a “light” cigarette into a regular cigarette.

- Smokers unlike smoking machines crave nicotine. Smokers may smoke more rapidly, take deeper puffs or smoke a few extra cigarettes a day to satisfy their craving for nicotine. This is called “compensating” and means that smokers are inhaling more tar and nicotine and other harmful substances than smoking machines would suggest.

- The National Cancer Institute has concluded that “light” cigarettes are in no way a benefit to smoker’s health.

- Smokers of “light” cigarettes are at just as much medical risk as are smokers of regular cigarettes.

- Cigarette companies using the data from their smoking machines to imply that “light” cigarettes are safer and therefore an alternative to quitting smoking.

- There is no evidence that “light” cigarettes help smokers to quit smoking.

- Cigarette companies are well aware that smokers of light cigarettes compensate by taking deeper puffs.

- Cigarette companies are also aware that the amounts of tar, nicotine and other noxious substances that smokers get are larger than those measured by smoking machines.

There is no such thing as a safe cigarette!!