The online surveillance system and archive of tobacco
products and tobacco industry marketing materials.
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.