Smokers get their first puff of smokeless cigarette

'It doesn't taste like my Marlboro'

June 3, 1996
Web posted at: 3:10 p.m. EDT

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (CNN) -- John Goff coolly whips out his lighter and lights up his Eclipse, a virtually smoke-free cigarette made by R.J. Reynolds.

"It doesn't taste like my Marlboro," he said after letting loose a small cloud of smoke. "No, not at all."

Goff and other smokers got the first chance to test the cigarette Monday in Chattanooga, where R.J. Reynolds is test-marketing its latest product over the next several months.

The company isn't making any health claims comparing Eclipse to traditional cigarettes, and experts don't know if the new product is any safer.

"We really have no indication of what is included in this cigarette, because it hasn't been subjected to industrial or agency tests," said Athena Mueller with Action on Smoking and Health.

R.J. Reynolds says Eclipse was developed in response to growing concerns about second-hand smoke, which has been proven to cause cancer and has made smoking unwanted in many places. In 1988, R.J. Reynolds tested a similar cigarette for five months before pulling it from the shelves.

The company hopes Eclipse will attract a larger audience, and help smokers and non-smokers co-exist.

Wanda Hamilton with the Florida Smokers Rights Association believes Eclipse will help.

"I think people will probably use it quite a bit when they are around people who object to the smell of burning tobacco," she said.

Eclipse makes less smoke than ordinary cigarettes because it doesn't actually burn. Instead, a charcoal tip is ignited which heats up the tobacco. (572K QuickTime movie) That generates 90 percent less smoke as well as lower levels of tar and nicotine, according to the company.

However, Hamilton said she's not sure if smokers, like Goff, are going to give up their regular smokes for Eclipse. Several smokers who tried Eclipse told CNN the cigarette isn't as good as their favorite brand.

"I like the concept of no smoke, but I wouldn't switch," one person said.

Related stories:

• Smokeless cigarette goes on sale - June 3, 1996

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