A landmark trial is underway against the Philip Morris tobacco company that alleges it committed fraud with its "light" cigarettes.

The suit says the company lied to smokers with its Marlboro Lights brand. Smokers believed they were lower in tar and nicotine, as stated on the package.




The suit says Philip Morris encouraged people to believe light cigarettes were less harmful than regular ones.

"Every time a consumer saw these ads saying that Marlboro Lights were lighter and lower in tar and nicotine, they were lied to," said Stephen Tillery, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs.

Attorneys for Philip Morris say the term "light" refers to lighter taste rather than health effects.




This lawsuit will be different from the personal injury cases that have reached the courts in the U.S. In those cases, tobacco companies were able to argue with some success that consumers made the decision to smoke knowing that cigarettes were harmful to their health.

In this case, the plaintiffs will argue they bought light cigarettes because they believed them to be less harmful.

Other lawsuits are pending against R.J. Reynolds and Brown & Williamson over light cigarettes.

Recent investigations have uncovered documents showing tobacco executives knew light cigarettes were as potent as regular ones.

They knew the government's device to measure tar and nicotine did not accurately reflect how smokers used light cigarettes. The smokers would inadvertently cover the ventilation holes in the filters with their lips or fingers and compensate by smoking more cigarettes.

"We now know that the company had a 50-year strategy of denials, disinformation and outright lies," says Tillery. "This case is about people receiving an addictive product far more dangerous than orange juice or auto parts."

In Canada, the federal health department has banned the words "mild" and "light" on cigarette packaging.

Tobacco makers have threatened to go to a NAFTA tribunal to settle the matter.

Chapter 11 of NAFTA allows foreign companies to sue a government if their investments have been hurt by the government's laws or regulations.