Kent (cigarette)

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Kent

An old pack of Kent Ultras from South Africa.

Product type Cigarette

Produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Introduced 1952; 65 years ago

Previous owners Lorillard Tobacco Company

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Kent
(cigarette).

Kent is a brand of cigarettes owned by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Contents
[hide]
 1History
2Additional notes
3Varieties available in the U.S.
4References
5External links

History[edit]
Widely recognized by many as the first popular filtered cigarette, Kent was introduced by
the Lorillard Tobacco Company in 1952 around the same time a series of articles entitled "cancer by
the carton", published by Reader's Digest, scared American consumers into seeking out a filter
brand at a time when most brands were filterless. (Viceroy cigarettes had been the first to introduce
filters, in 1936.) Kent widely touted its "famous micronite filter" and promised consumers the
"Greatest health protection in history." Sales of Kent skyrocketed, and it has been estimated that in
the first four years that Kent was on the market, Lorillard sold some 13 billion Kent cigarettes. From
March 1952 until at least May 1956, however, the Micronite filter in Kent cigarettes
contained carcinogenic blue asbestos.[1] It has been suspected that many cases
of mesothelioma have been caused specifically by smoking the original Kent cigarettes. Lorillard
quietly changed the filter material from asbestos to the more common cellulose acetate in mid
1956.[1] Kent continued to grow until the late 1960s, then began a long, steady decline as more
filtered cigarette brands promising even lower tar (and appealing to smokers' desires for a "safer"
smoke) were introduced.
However, Kent continued to stay in the top ten cigarette brand list until 1979.[2] In 1977, Lorillard sold
the overseas rights of Kent and all of its other brands[3] and today Kents manufactured outside the
U.S. are property of British American Tobacco. On June 15, 2014 Reynolds American offered to buy
the Lorillard tobacco company for $27.4 billion[4] and effective June 12, 2015 the Kent brand became
the property of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Additional notes[edit]
The brand is named after Herbert Kent, a former executive at Lorillard Tobacco Company.

1950s U.S. television advertisement

Between 1970 and 1990 Kent was the most demanded cigarette in Romania and in some parts of
the domestic market used as payment or bribe. In the latter part of the interval, Kent was no longer
available in regular retail, being sold officially only in hard currency shops. Obviously, the black
market was thriving at the time, as most Kents being smuggled in by those relatively few Romanians
who were allowed to travel abroad (sea&air crew, diplomatic staff, etc.)[5][6]
Varieties available in the U.S.[edit]
Currently, Kents sold in the U.S. are only available in soft packs.

Kent Classic - Kings and 100s (Full Flavor)

Kent Golden - Kings and 100s (Lights)
Kent III - Kings and 100s (Ultra Lights)

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Longo WE, Rigler MW, Slade J (1995). "Crocidolite
asbestos fibers in smoke from original Kent cigarettes". Cancer
Research. 55 (11): 22325. PMID 7757969.
2. Jump up^ "Kent". Everything2.com. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
3. Jump up^ "Reynolds American Incorporated - Home". Lorillard.com.
Retrieved 2015-10-31.
4. Jump up^ [1][dead link]
5. Jump
up^ https://archive.is/20130411012954/http://news.google.com/newsp
apers?nid=1946&dat=19841201&id=G6IkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sqUFAAAAI
BAJ&pg=1023,502429. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
Retrieved June 1, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
6. Jump up^ In Romania, Smoking A Kent Cigarette Is Like Burning
Money and In Romania, Kent Cigarettes are Very Useful As A
Bartering Medium Archived 2013-12-26 at the Wayback Machine., The
Wall Street Journal: March 1, 1986

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Kent
(cigarette).

Official website

[show]

Reynolds American

[show]

British American Tobacco

 [show]

Cigarettes
Categories:
British American Tobacco brands
Products introduced in 1952
Asbestos
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company brands
Asbestos disasters
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This page was last edited on 6 November 2017, at 17:16.
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