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FDA Opening Probe Into Marlboro 'Light' Marketing

Duff Wilson reports that the Food and Drug Administration is opening an investigation into the marketing of Marlboro Light cigarettes and yesterday sent a "stern" letter to the Philip Morris USA unit of Altria Group suggesting that notes placed on packs recently "may perpetuate the mistaken beliefs associated with your 'light' cigarettes when marketed as Marlboro in the gold pack."

Under a federal law that goes into effect on Tuesday, tobacco companies are barred from using terms such as "light," "mild" or "low." While they have refrained from using the banned words, tobacco companies have been repackaging their products using what critics call "color coding" - lighter hues of their former "light" and menthol products, Wilson reports.

The Altria packages now say: "Your Marlboro Lights package is changing, but your cigarette stays the same" and "In the future, ask for Marlboro in the gold pack." The FDA gave the company until July 30 to produce all documents related to its market research on consumer perceptions about the gold packages and associated health risks.

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