Trade Secrets: Don't watch this

Caught this on the boob tube the other night and now its up on the Internet. Just disgraceful the amount of stuff that's on line nowadays.

The information in this video is about what's in a cigarette. It's trade secrets folks and ya shouldn't be watchin' it. I'm postin' it here just to highlight how out of control health types are by exposin' the time held traditions of my industry.

So don't watch it.

And if ya do, lemme tell y'all somethin' before ya get worked up. This IS NOT another good example of why the FDA needs to regulate cigarette makers. We use only the cleanest brooms when we sweep tobacco dust off the floor and reconstitute it into new fresh smooth Liardare Carolina 100's.

It's all very safe and wholesome, take my word fer it.





As a former tobacco executive, you might think I'd feel an affinity to a fellow former leader in big tobacco. Fer the most part that's true but not when it comes to turncoat Jeffery Wigand. Y'all can read more about him here.

Couple years back Wigand became a famous whistle blower by exposin' trade secrets like the ones in that terrible video above. That's like givin' up the Masons secret handshake. Omerta my friend. Ya just don't do stuff like that.

Anywho, his story got made into a movie called the Insider. I didn't see it. What is that gonna tell me that I don't already know?

So don't watch the video and remember we can police ourselves just fine. We don't need no FDA pointy headed jerks tellin' us our business. Trust us, we don't!

Candy Flavored Smokes: Saved by the Bell

Yee haw everybody!

Well chalk one up fer the good 'ol boys. We finally won one in New York. And believe you me, that state is so kooky and "health conscience" when it comes to tobacco that this is no small feat.


Thanks to the stallin' efforts of the New York State Senate a proposed ban on flavored failed to pass this year in the Empire State. Now, the good folks at Camel can continue to sell rooty tooty fruity apple infused and the rest without fear of government intervention.

Well, at least as long as nothin' changes on that FDA bill the Feds are talkin' about. But I shudder to think about that one (bluuch...shudder).

But in the meantime, breathe easy smokers of Camel Signature Blends...well as easy as you can. And take stock in the fact that the New York State Senate still values RJ Reynolds' right to develop, manufacture, and market candy and fruit flavored smokes that may or may not (but probably don't) appeal to kids.

If y'all like to show yer appreciation to the New York State Senate you can email their head muckety muck here or call him at the number below.

Senator Joseph L. Bruno
President and Majority Leader43rd Senate District
(518) 455-3191

Silly Ol' Camel: Cigs Are Fer Docs!

Y'all know somethin'.

It just makes me ill to see how the good folks at Camel are havin' their name dragged through the mud right know about them flavored cigarettes ....uh... I mean.... Signature Blends. Accusations are a flyin', states are talkin' about bannin' certain types of smokes and the Feds in Washington might start regulatin' us.

Just terrible and so completely unnecessary.

Fer example, Camel is takin' a beatin' right now, but they have a long history of bein' completely honest with the public about their products and their marketin'. I mean just take a look at this little gem from the good ol' days, before all the doctors in the world got so uppity about stuff like health.

How can anyone look at that ad and say the Feds ought to be buttin' in. I don't get it!?!

RJR Research: Flavored Cigs Look like Somethin' Younger Kids Would Like

Oh boy. Another RJ Reynolds memo has surfaced on flavored cigarettes, and this one ain't pretty either.
The latest is from a 1980's market research study on infusin' tastes like chocolate and lemon into cigarettes. Reynolds tested the idea of flavors out on both male and female smokers and it went over like somethin' that came out the south side of Joe Camel.

This is from page 36 of an 111 page consumer research study on flavored cigarettes. You can read the full thing here.

Accordin' to research done on RJR's existin' smokers, they weren't interested in flavored cigarettes and noted that the concept reminded them of somethin' non-smokers would find impressive. Worst of all Reynold's internal research showed current smokers felt flavored cigarettes would appeal more to younger kids rather than someone who's been smokin' fer awhile. Well that's just crazy talk!

Of course now some know-it-all health type will compare this to what RJR's Tommy Payne said a couple of weeks ago about the long-standin' controversies regardin' the manufacturin', marketin' and use of tobacco products needin' to be resolved.

Then the health nuts will likely point out the memo from the 70's we had last week and connect the dots to this newly discovered market research they did in the 80's.

And then I betcha those do gooders will say "long standin' controversy over, Reynolds internal paperwork from the 70's and the 80's show they know full well Camel Signature Blends are fer kids."

Makes me sick how people can be so unfair. Why do bad things have to happen to good Camels?

Silly Ol' Camel Cigarettes Are Fer Kids

So this whole flavored cigarette thing just don't seem like it's goin' away any time soon. Apparently states like New York (of course) are workin' on passin' laws to ban 'em fer good. And there's all sorts of talk about FDA regulation.

Guess some folks just didn't take kindly to Camel re-introducin' flavor...uh...blended cigarettes so soon after pullin' 'em off the shelves. Oh well. Win some loose some.

Reynolds defense is that they ain't callin' 'em by their fruity names so it don't violate any agreements. In a press release smokesperson Tommy Payne went on to say "we believe the long-standin' controversies regardin' the manufacturin', marketin' and use of tobacco products need to be resolved.”

Amen brother.

Of course then some smarty-paints, health-nut type might post this little beauty in response. It's an internal document from Reynolds dated May 9, 1974 which appears to resolve some of them long-standin' controversies regardin' the manufacturin' and marketin' of flavored cigarettes.


Here Reynolds is tryin' to come up with new cigarette ideas and - if y'all look at section number three it appears to show the birth of Frost, Infused, Mellow and Robust. In case y'all have trouble makin' it out the third idea says:

"Another segment of the total market is the new smoker market (youth market). Make a cigarette which is obviously youth oriented. This could involve cigarette name, blend, flavor and marketing technique. The concept would be similar to that employed by Boone Farm Wines; for example a flavor which would be candy-like but give the satisfaction of a cigarette."

Ouch.

Well hopefully none of those health folks will find it and post in on-line. With some sort of reminder about what the new flavor...uh....signature blends are.

Just imagine readin' that memo followed by a description of Camel Robust as “similar to notes found on cocoa and espresso”; Camel Mellow as “accented with toasted honey”; Camel Frost as “Fine Asian Mint… while the creamy finish delivers a smooth, buttery aftertaste”; and Camel Infused as offering “notes of Citrus” and “a sweet apple-like flavor.”

That would be bad.

FDA FDSchmay...Smokin' is good fer Pregnant Moms

Ya might have heard there's a bunch of hub bub about whether or not the Feds at the FDA should be regulatin' tobacco companies.

Apparently -surprise surprise - them Free Tobacco fer Kids Campaign fellers are pushin' this nonsense. Of course other mamby pamby health types are in the mix too. They've got a bunch of newspapers callin' fer federal regulations as well here here here and here.

Shameful. I say FDA FDSchmay. Tobacco companies can police themselves. Look at what a good job we done with flavored cigarettes this week. And we've been makin' pledges fer years about our cigarettes.

Fer example take a lookey at this clip from 1971 where then Philip Morris CEO Joseph Cullman vows to take any ingredients found to be dangerous out of cigarettes. He also assures pregnant moms that smokin' is safe and - rightly - points out that cigarettes can actually be good fer moms as some women prefer smaller babies.



Why on Earth would anybody be suggestin' we need Federal regulatin'? Just don't make no sense to me.