Culture
Do Lucky Strike Cigarettes Really Have Weed In Them?
Have you heard that myth about a certain American cigarette brand containing cannabis? Do Lucky Strike cigarettes really have weed in them?
Do Lucky Strike cigarettes really have weed in them? The classic American cigarette brand’s slogan is “It’s Toasted.” Does this slogan have a double meaning? What about Lucky Strike Green? To investigate this myth, we’ve delved deep into the history of the Lucky Strike brand. Did we strike gold? Or did we strike out?
The History of Lucky Strike Cigarettes
Lucky Strike first hit the shelves in the United States in 1971 as a brand of chewing tobacco. The brand later switched over to cigarettes. The history of the Lucky Strike brand is as interesting and varied as that of every other cigarette brand.
It’s Toasted
The American Tobacco Company bought Lucky Strike in 1905. The name of the brand was inspired by the Gold Rush.
By 1917, the brand had found its slogan: “It’s Toasted.” The slogan was meant to advertise how their tobacco had the distinction of being toasted rather than being sun-dried. This supposedly meant a better tasting cigarette.
In the late 1920s, sales of Lucky Strike cigarettes went through the roof, with an increase of over 300%. The reason? A new ad campaign touted the cigarettes as an appetite suppressant and diet aid for women. One of their ads even instructed, “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet.”
Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco
By 1930, Lucky Strike was the nation’s leading brand of cigarettes. Their advertisements rested on their superior tasting tobacco. And also their focus on being an American brand sold and marketed to Americans.
During World War II, the company made radical changes to their signature packaging. While Lucky Strike Cigarettes were originally packaged in green boxes, the company revamped their image to clean, white packets.
Through their famous advertising campaign, “Lucky Strike Green Has Gone To War,” the company claimed that the materials needed to produce the green ink and gold trim on their packaging were needed for the American war effort.
In actuality, the revamp was to better appeal to female smokers, as well as to modernize the brand. By then, market research showed that women were buying a lot of cigarettes, and green packaging just wasn’t attractive to them.
The brand also developed a new, additional slogan in 1945: L.S./M.F.T. It stood for “Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco.” Lucky Strike cigarettes were even included in the rations of soldiers fighting in the war.
Big Tobacco
In 1976, British American Tobacco acquired the Lucky Strike brand. By the 1960s, Lucky Strike consumers had the option to purchase a filtered version of the cigarettes.
The brand also introduced Lucky Strike Green, which contains menthol. Today, Lucky Strike remains in the top ten best selling cigarette brands worldwide.
The Myth
There is a myth that has been circulating for years about Lucky Strike cigarettes. The myth passed on to many naive and gullible adolescents, states that occasionally—in every 1,000 packs or so—there will be one cigarette in the pack that contains weed instead of tobacco.
The origins of this myth are unknown. But it’s piqued our interest. Do Lucky Strike cigarettes really have weed in them?
Final Hit: Do Lucky Strike Cigarettes Really Have Weed In Them?
So is this myth true or false? According to Snopes, and basic logic, the answer to the question “Do Lucky Strike cigarettes really have weed in them?” is a resounding “no.”
Although the name of the brand refers to the Gold Rush, the cigarettes are in no way associated with the Green Rush.
But we wouldn’t be surprised if more people started circulating the myth. In fact, it’s even more likely today, as more teenagers are choosing to smoke weed over cigarettes.
So will the myth compel teens to buy Lucky Strike with the hope that they will get the lucky pack? Do we smell a Big Tobacco conspiracy in the making?
