NEW YORK (CNN) - Several state governments are probing cigarette companies' advertising claims of "reduced risk" cigarettes, fearing that consumers will be misled.
As part of a multi-state investigation, a spokesman for California's attorney general said the state is looking into the possibility of misleading marketing regarding such products now or soon to be on the market.
The states want to ensure that the health claims don't violate state laws or the master settlement agreement reached between the states and tobacco companies in 1998 to restrict the marketing of tobacco products.
Advertisements for R.J. Reynolds' Eclipse and Vector Tobacco's Quest cigarettes have caught the attention of authorities. Eclipse's ads say the cigarettes "may present less risk of cancer, chronic bronchitis and possibly emphysema" and Quest's ads include the slogan, "Step your way to nicotine free!"
"Any time we see a tobacco company saying a product is safer than other tobacco products, our antennae go up," said Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. "We're looking at whether the claims regarding the health effects are factually accurate and backed up by scientific evidence."
At last count, California has received about a half million pages of documentation regarding Eclipse cigarettes. Dresslar could not comment on what has been obtained, but said the state expects to received more documents as the investigation continues.
Some of the other states requesting information about either Eclipse or Quest cigarettes include Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell said that under the master settlement agreement and consumer protection laws, tobacco companies cannot make false statements, and "Vermont and other states are concerned that consumers will be misled."
In a written statement, R.J. Reynolds said its claims about the lower risks of Eclipse cigarettes are "substantiated by the extensive scientific testing that Eclipse has undergone during its development."
Vector declined to comment, but a source close to Vector said that the Quest cigarette currently is being marketed as a regular cigarette but the company is "working with the FDA to seek approval to eventually market Quest as a smoking cessation aid."
Cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris also is "working on a product we hope has the potential to reduce the risk to smokers," said spokesman Brenden McCormick. He said the company is not currently involved in any investigation.
The company wants to have the product on the market by the end of the year.
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