Light Cigarette Litigation in the United States

Audience: Those who work in cessation will benefit from this presentation, as will those who seek to educate the public about the true dangers of “light” cigarettes and the ongoing reprehensible misconduct of the tobacco companies.

Key Points: Active in tobacco control since 1979, the presenter will review the history of these consumer-protection lawsuits, including the efforts by the companies’ attorneys to shift blame onto smokers who were deceived by the light cigarette scam.  He will also analyze documents that establish the legal bases for the lawsuits (including the history of light cigarettes in the U.S.) and the judicial opinions arising from these cases. 

Educational Experience: :  The presenter will highlight key aspects of these light cigarette lawsuits, including industry misconduct spanning decades, as well as the most important court rulings.  Realizing that non-lawyers will constitute a large portion of the intended audience, he will provide a power point presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session. 

Benefits: Since light and ultra-light cigarettes presently constitute more than 50% of the U.S. cigarette market, it is very useful for tobacco control advocates to be familiar with how that level of prevalence came about and how the tobacco companies’ deliberate and ongoing fraudulent conduct affected the behavior of their consumers.