Tobacco.org

Reynolds to Limit Marketing of Flavored Cigarettes (Update3) 

Reynolds American Inc.'s R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. reached an agreement with 38 states to limit marketing of cigarettes with the names of fruit or candy after complaints the practice attracted young people to smoking.

The agreement between R.J. Reynolds, the second-largest U.S. tobacco maker, and states including New York and California bans the company from giving its cigarettes names such as Warm Winter Toffee and Beach Breezer. Reynolds can still sell flavored cigarettes, provided the marketing doesn't attract children, Reynolds spokesman Fred McConnell said today.

Lawyers for the states, including New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, claimed Reynolds's marketing of flavored cigarettes violated a 1998 settlement with 46 states seeking reimbursement of money spent treating sick smokers. The deal, under which Reynolds and other tobacco makers agreed to pay $206 billion, includes rules against marketing cigarettes to kids.

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