and trademarking potential brand names such as “Panama Red” and “Acapulco Gold.” Such rumors were nothing more than the product of fanciful imagination and wishful thinking, but now that state of Colorado has legalized marijuana use, and more states are sure to follow, those claims no longer sound quite so far fetched.
Those rumors of old were played upon in a 21 January 2014 article from Abril Uno positing that tobacco giant Phillip Morris had announced the company would be entering the marijuana cigarette market with a brand called “Marlboro M” Phillip Morris, the world’s biggest cigarette producer, announced today that they will join the marijuana legalization bandwagon and start producing marijuana cigarettes. To be marketed under the brand “Marlboro M”, it will be made available for sale through marijuana licensed outlets in the state of Colorado, and Washington when it becomes commercially legal 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. By the following day links and excerpts referencing this article were being circulated via social media and re posted on other web sites, with many of those who encountered it mistaking it for a genuine news item. However, this article was just a spoof from the Abril Uno web site, whose name translates as “April One” (i.e., April Fool’s Day). Disclaimers on the web site’s pages notes that Abril Uno is a satire, parody and spoof web publication. Abril Uno uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases where public figures or companies are being satirized, parodied or spoofed. Any resemblance to the truth, actual events, actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and is intended purely as a satire, parody or spoof. All articles contained herein are fiction (“fake”), untrue, and for entertainment only. Last updated 23 January 2014
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E-cigarettes included in new york city’s public smoking bans
By Aidan Gardiner
NEW YORK CITY The City Council extended existing public smoking bans to include electronic cigarettes during their last legislative session of the year Thursday, reports said.
The bill, which passed by an overwhelming majority, bans the devices in bars, restaraunts, parks and other public places where smoking is prohibited. The new law goes into effect in four months, the New York Times and CBS reported.
E cigarettes, which are about the size and shape of a regular cigarette, use a battery to vaporize nicotine that users then inhale.
“Although the long term effects of electronic cigarette devices require further study, the FDA has found that some devices contain toxins and carcinogens and has expressed concerns about their safety,” the legislation reads.
Supporters of the bill also said that they were concerned about second hand vapor and that the nicotine vials, which are often sweetened, can addict children, the Times reported.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has yet to approve the legislation, though he is expected to do so, CBS reported.
City legislators also approved a ban on the use of styrofoam unless a year long study shows that the material can be recycled effectively, the Times reported.
Small businesses were enraged when Bloomberg first proposed the ban in February because it would force them to buy more expensive containers.