Chicago Tribune | Cigarette-makers' target: Women
NEWS FLASH: Cigarette makers targeted everyone, from women to men to minorities to children. Spare me the handwringing, and give me another cigarette.

Tobacco companies did extensive studies of sex differences in smoking so they could design cigarettes with special appeal to women, such as lemon-flavored and vanilla-scented cigarettes, a new study has found. Marshmallow, coconut and chocolate flavors were also used.

The tobacco industry's studies indicated that women were more likely to be concerned about their health, so cigarette companies appealed to them by offering brands low in tar and nicotine--even though experts say there is no evidence these brands are less harmful.

"Perception is more important than reality, and in this case the perception is of reduced tobacco consumption," stated one Philip Morris document quoted in the study. The same document said, "Most smokers have little real notion of their own brand's tar and nicotine numbers."

Marshmallow? Ooooo, I want a smoke that tastes like toasted marshmallows. Yum.