Tobacco.org

Fight Over a 'Safer Cigarette' 

Meyers says the government should step in "both because this is not a traditional tobacco product and because RJR is making unprecedented health claims concerning this product. This is a very dangerous advertising campaign that says to smokers that there is an alternative to quitting that significantly reduces health risks. The clear impact will be to provide a safe haven to some people who might otherwise have quit, believing they had no other realistic choice." . .

But Moskowitz maintains that tests done by a company-appointed panel of nine scientists and doctors show that Eclipse may reduce the risk of smoking. Test results have been given to the FDA and FTC and will be published later this year in an established science journal, he says.

Those tests can't be trusted, Meyers says, because RJR "collected the scientists and collected the tests, with no independent government oversight and review." Only such government-supervised tests can provide trustworthy results, he says. . .

You can also go to its more deluxe Eclipse site, but be prepared to fork over a lot of personal information and your credit card number (they say it's for identification purposes).

Jump to full article »