I don't get it!

Maybe I’m not so bright. I am a smoker, that should tell you something. Some things, however, just seem to defy comprehension. Today’s “WTF” has to do with cigarettes. Did you ever hear of “American Spirit” cigarettes? They advertise themselves as producing additive free tobacco products. True enough that the side of the pack reminds us that being additive free does not mean that their cigarettes are safer but how many smokers look at those federally mandated warnings anyway? Apparently from what I could glean on line some of the additives they mention are ones that make the tobacco burn more slowly. Seems to me that means that a consumer has more time to inhale the bad stuff in a smoke, more time to take in that life smothering carbon monoxide smokers get in their blood.
Some of the qualities of their product that they mention on their web site are:

Earth friendly farming
Leaf Selection
Organic Growers Program
Dedicated Manufacturing
No Additives
Full tobacco ingredient Disclosure
Perique Heritage
Additive Free Menthol 

The take away I get is that these product qualities only function so as  to make us feel somewhat less guilty about indulging our habit. “Yeah, I smoke two packs a day but it is earth friendly tobacco!” As I see it that’s not so much a good thing as a cop out. Finally before anyone gets too warm and fuzzy about the Native American themed graphics on the package, American Spirit was acquired by Reynolds American Tobacco 5 years ago. We should be grateful they are not presenting their product line as containing “free range tobacco”.