Natural American Spirit


Natural American Spirit is an American brand of cigarettes and other tobacco products, currently owned by Reynolds American and manufactured by the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.

History

The company was founded in 1982 by Bill Drake, author of The Cultivators Handbook of Natural Tobacco, Robert Marion, Chris Webster, and Eb Wicks, a plumbing contractor who took out a loan to finance the startup. In January 2002, the company was acquired by Reynolds American and is now a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Reynolds American, which is in turn 42% owned by British American Tobacco. Japan Tobacco announced in September 2015 that it acquired the right to sell Natural American Spirit products in markets outside the United States.

Markets

Natural American Spirit cigarettes have been sold in the United States, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Tunisia, Japan, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Finland and Denmark.

Products

Natural American Spirit offers various types of select filter cigarettes which are color-coded to denote the nicotine and tar contents, which are altered by using different filters and cigarette paper. American Spirit also has a Perique Blend Filter cigarette, which contains 10% Perique tobacco, and an Organic Filter cigarette, which contains organic tobacco.
Natural American Spirit also offers several "Roll Your Own" tobaccos in tins and pouches.
In the UK, American Spirit rolling tobacco comes in Blue or Yellow. Only by name, as in the UK all tobacco products are packaged in olive coloured packs. They both come in 30g only. American Spirit cigarettes are sold in 20s and are either Blue, Yellow or Orange.

Controversy

The claim of additive-free cigarettes

Natural American Spirit products are advertised as "100% Additive-Free Tobacco", though they include the standard generic Surgeon General tobacco warning on the packs in accordance with federal regulation standards, which currently states "no additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette". This was part of an FTC ruling in 2000 and agreement, resulting from allegations that the advertisement of "additive-free" cigarettes made consumers feel that the product might be less addictive or safer than regular cigarettes.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown announced on March 1, 2010, that his office had secured an agreement with the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company to clearly disclose that its organic tobacco is "no safer or healthier" than other tobacco products. Attorneys General from 32 other states and the District of Columbia signed onto the agreement.