RIZLA AD BANNED OVER DRUG REFERENCE

A promotion for cigarette papers has been banned by the advertising
watchdog because it could be seen as condoning the use of cannabis. The
advert had the words "Twist and" above a packet of Rizla papers with a turn
at one end and "burn" on one side.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) carried out an investigation
after receiving a complaint from a rival manufacturer who claimed the
promotion "condoned the product's use for the consumption of illegal
drugs". It found that, in some dictionaries, "twist" was a slang term for a
cannabis cigarette and "burn" could be a reference to smoking one. It added
that it understood cannabis cigarettes were normally fatter than those
filled with tobacco and twisted at one end to prevent the contents falling
out. Imperial Tobacco, makers of Rizla, said "twist and burn" was a phrase
commonly used by motorcyclists and meant turning the bike's throttle and
"burning rubber" along a road.

Although the company said it was aware "a minority" used Rizlas with soft
drugs, it said "it was not its intended purpose" and it "did not condone
that use". The watchdog concluded the wording in the advert and the twisted
packet "were likely to be seen by many readers as an allusion to the
culture of cannabis use". It accepted the advert had been approved by the
advertising industry's vetting body but told Imperial Tobacco not to use
the same promotion in the future.