Description Viral article / Satire
Circulating since Jan. 2014 (text) / Aug. 2007 (image)
Status FALSE (see details below)

Example
Via , Jan. 21, 2014

Phillip Morris Introduces Marlboro Marijuana Cigarettes

Phillip Morris, the world s biggest cigarette producer, announced today that they will join the marijuana legalization bandwagon and start producing marijuana cigarettes. Marketed under the brand “Marlboro M”, the cigarettes will be made available for sale through marijuana licensed outlets in the state of Colorado, and the state of Washington when it becomes commercially legal there later this year.

Serafin Norcik, Phillip Morris Sr. Vice President for Marketing said in an interview that the company has been high on the idea of marketing cannabis, and has been monitoring the market for some time. It was only when the recent legalization initiatives winning in Colorado and Washington that they finally made the decision to take a leap of faith.

Full Text

Analysis As one might expect from a site called “Abril Uno” (April First), this article is a spoof. The site’s disclaimer is unambiguous “All articles contained herein are fiction (‘fake’), untrue, and for entertainment only.”

The image used in the article, also a spoof, dates from 2007 and originally appeared as an entry in a photo editing contest amusingly titled “If Hippies Ruled.”

Notwithstanding the recent passage of laws legalizing the sale and use of small amounts of pot in a few states and much speculation about the commercial future of cannabis, as of this writing no major tobacco companies, including Phillip Morris, have announced plans to begin producing marijuana cigarettes.

Sources and further reading

Phillip Morris Introduces Marlboro Marijuana Cigarettes
Abril Uno (satire website), 21 January 2014

Marlboro Greens
, 14 August 2007

Will Big Tobacco Jump on the Marijuana Movement?
Associated Press, 19 December 2012

Last updated 01/25/14

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