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CIGARETTE DESIGN AND INNOVATION FOR MARKET APPEAL, Page 8
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THE FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTE
  • More, with its cigar-like coloration and length, has another cigar-like characteristic: it goes out if unattended. (RJR, 1973)
  • Sherman's MCD Filtered Cigarettes (Nat Sherman, early 1980s). Package claims that the cigarettes do not contain "flavorings, saltpeter or any additives." As proof, the label notes,
    Light up a Sherman, and light any mass-produced cigarette. Put both down and watch the mass-produced cigarette burn quickly, while the Sherman's burns more slowly, and may even go out after a while. That's because pre tobacco does not burn by itself. There's saltpeter in that mass-produced cigarette to keep it burning. If the Sherman's should go out after a while, you can relight it. Since it has no chemicals, it will taste as fresh as when you first lit up.
  • Experimental cigarette manufactured by Lorillard and RJR for the federal Technical Study Group (circa 1986). The cigarette did not support combusion of furniture or fabric in any of the tests conducted at the National Bureau of Standards. Mike Wallace tested a cigarette like this on "60 Minutes" in Spring 1994.
    (Andrew McGuire)
TOBACCO PRODUCT REGULATION
BY THE U. S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
  • Fairfax, introduced in 1950, was found to be a drug in 1952 by the FDA based on claims that it protected the smoker from a host of respiratory ills. FDA's action was upheld in court. The pack in the exhibit dates from the late 50s, early 60s.
  • Trim (Cornell Drug Corp, 1958). Claimed weight reducing properties based on a tartaric acid additive. Promoted in pharmacies. Regulated as a drug by FDA.
  • Favor (Advanced Tobacco Products, 1986). A hollow plastic tube with a foam plug at the distal end containing nicotine and flavorings. Inhalation leads to some nicotine absorption. Claims involved use as an alternative to conventional cigarettes to satisfy a nicotine dependence. Ruled a drug by the FDA. Inhalers based on the original patents for this device are under development as adjuncts in the treatment of nicotine dependence.
  • Masterpiece Tobacs (Pinkerton, 1987). A 1 mg nicotine chewing gum. Nicotine comes from shreds of tobacco in the gum. Regulated as a food by FDA since chewing gum is a food, and declared to be adulterated since tobacco is not an approved food additive. Pinkerton is a subsidiary of the Swedish Tobacco Company.
  • Spectra (H/Keeney Tobacco Corp., 1990). Produced by a company affiliated with a company called CA Blockers, the cigarettes used an additive called N-Bloctin that was supposed to interfere with the absorption of nitrosamines in the lung. Made in Virginia for the Israeli market, the product was regulated as a drug by FDA.(Klaus Brunnemann, Ph.D.)
GIMMICKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
 
  • Jin Jian and Zhenbao (Beijing Cigarette Factory, China, 1992). Tobacco cigarettes combined with tradional Chinese herbal medicines. Jin Jian features bluish henbane, a traditional cure for bronchitis. A scientific paper in the Chinese
    (Judith Mackay, F.R.C.P.)
  • Sopianae 100 (The Cigarette Factory at Pecs, Hungary, 1990). Features an inner filter with charcoal and ascorbic acid granules. Claims superior removal of toxins. Factory now controlled by BAT.
  • NAC Plate (Made in Japan, sold in Beijing, 1989). Nicotine Alkaloid Control Plate. Claimed to reduce tar delivery of cigarettes when placed inside cello packaging and allowed to sit in place. Effect supposedly mediated by radiation. No radiation above background detected in several laboratories. The product was exposed as a fraud in 1990 by the IOCU.

 
REFERENCES
Mullen, Chris. Cigarette Pack Art. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1979. ISBN 0-312-13842-3.

Sobel, Robert. They Satisfy: The Cigarette in American Life. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1978. ISBN 0-385-12956-4.

Tobacco Merchants Association of the United States. Directory of Cigarette Brands 1864-1988. Princeton, NJ: Tobacco Merchants Association of the United States, 1989.
RESOURCES
Cigarette Pack Collectors Association (CPCA). Publishes Brandstand six times yearly. C/O Richard Elliott, CPCA, 61 Searle Street, Georgetown, MA 01833, U. S. A. Membership $10/year.

Cigarette Packet Collectors Club of Great Britain. Publishes The Cigarette Packet six times yearly. C/O Hilary Humphries, 15 Dullingham Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9JT, United Kingdom.

Antiquarian Tobacciana. Publishes a newsletter of available second hand books about tobacco and related items. Major strength in pipe collecting but has coverage of all tobacco related materials. C/O Ben Rapaport, 11505 Turnbridge Lane, Reston, VA 22094-1220, U. S. A.