If you are experiencing health issues after years of purchasing Natural American Spirit cigarettes because you thought they were a safer alternative to other brands, you’re not alone. For years, Natural American Spirit used specific marketing language that suggested their brand was natural, additive-free, and organic.
The truth is that any and all combustible tobacco products cause serious harm. Tobacco is the only legal consumer product that kills half of its users when used as intended by the manufacturer. Whether the tobacco is organic and additive-free or the packaging looks more wholesome than other brands, tobacco smoke can cause cancer and will always damage the lungs, blood vessels, and other organs.
The issue with this advertising isn’t just the language Natural American Spirit used. The issue is that this language implies a safer product, and that many consumers understandably interpreted it wrongly.
Why does marketing language matter?
In most consumer products, words like natural, additive-free, and organic do generally mean the product is a healthier option. Natural American Spirit was able to profit from that association. By placing these and similar descriptors prominently on packaging and advertisements, the brand distinguished itself from other cigarettes and charged premium prices. For many smokers, this marketing made Natural American Spirit look like a less dangerous brand.
What did the FDA say about Natural American Spirit’s “natural” marketing?
In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company (the maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes). The letter detailed how descriptors such as natural and additive-free could communicate (explicitly or implicitly) that their cigarettes posed a lower risk of tobacco-related disease than other cigarettes. Without FDA approval, brands are not allowed to market products as safer than others, especially when they aren’t less harmful.
FDA warning letters are not suggestions; they are formal notices indicating that a company is violating federal law. If a company doesn’t fix the problem, the FDA can escalate to enforcement actions. After the 2015 warning letter, the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company agreed to change its marketing. Research and public reporting describe a 2017 agreement under which the company removed “additive-free” and “natural” as claims but was allowed to keep “Natural” in the official brand name.
Does deceptive marketing work?
Before the FDA required changes to Natural American Spirit’s marketing, the brand’s natural and additive-free messaging had a measurable effect on consumer beliefs. In a national survey conducted between 2013 and 2014, nearly 64% of Natural American Spirit smokers believed the brand was less harmful than other cigarettes. By contrast, only a small percentage of smokers of other cigarettes held that belief about their chosen brand. The data show that Natural American Spirit smokers were far more likely to believe that they were choosing a safer cigarette even though all combustible cigarettes carry serious, well-known health risks.
After the 2017 agreement and changes, Natural American Spirit and similar brands shifted their messaging to highlight terms like organic, real, simple, and different, and to emphasize that their cigarettes contained only two ingredients. Clearly this marketing was designed to make the cigarettes seem less processed and, by implication, safer than other brands.
Another study showed that these misconceptions did not disappear after regulators restricted certain words. A large experimental study examining advertisements for Natural American Spirit’s newer, organic “Sky” cigarettes found that 28% of participants believed the cigarettes were less harmful and 38% believed they exposed users to fewer chemicals. Those beliefs increased significantly when ads included descriptors such as organic, earth-friendly, or referenced the product’s charcoal filter. Even without explicit additive-free claims, Natural American Spirit marketing continues to encourage the belief that some cigarettes are cleaner or safer despite no evidence showing that these products reduce health risks.
How can misleading marketing influence consumer choices?
Many of the consumer lawsuits involving Natural American Spirit have focused on economic harm. They claim that smokers were misled into believing the cigarettes were cleaner or less harmful, and that they therefore paid more for a product marketed as natural. On average, Natural American Spirit costs 51% more than the cheapest pack in a store.
Deceptive marketing can also cause a deeper kind of harm. When smokers believe a product is safer, they may smoke more, decide not to quit, or start smoking because they believe the brand is less of a threat to their health. In reality, inhaling tobacco smoke will always cause serious harm and can be fatal over time. Natural American Spirit’s changes to their marketing language didn’t fix the problem. Misleading messaging helped build the brand and shape consumer behavior for years and removing certain words can’t undo the damage that has already been done.
Can Schlesinger Law Offices Help?
Yes. We believe no one should be misled into inhaling an addictive, carcinogenic product based on deceptive marketing. If you or a loved one developed cancer, COPD, heart disease, or another smoking-related illness after smoking Natural American Spirit cigarettes, you may have a claim for compensation.
At Schlesinger Law Offices, we can help you evaluate your options. Our firm has decades of experience taking on major tobacco companies and holding them accountable for misleading marketing and the harm caused by their products. We understand how these cases are built, what evidence matters, how to document a smoker’s history, and how medical records and diagnosis timelines can support your claim. Contact Schlesinger Law Offices now to start your free case review.
Please note: we operate on a contingency basis, meaning that you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. This way you can focus on recovery, not legal fees.