AFP: WASHINGTON — A US law banning the selling of so-called "light" or "mild" cigarettes took effect Tuesday, but some anti-tobacco groups say the makers are sidestepping the rules by using color-coding packaging.
The measure signed into law a year ago by President Barack Obama regulates tobacco for the first time and prohibits, starting Tuesday, packaging using the terms "light," "mild," or "low" -- which could lead smokers into believing they are not as harmful.
But regulators and tobacco firms are still battling over how the new measure will be implemented.
Some say that color-coding packs and switching to terms such as "gold" and "silver" instead of "light" and "ultra-light" are efforts to continue misleading consumers.
"With a wink and a nod, the tobacco industry has found new ways to continue their deceptive marketing practices to circumvent the new regulations," said Charles Connor, president of the American Lung Association. >>> AFP | Tuesday, June 22, 2010
