Someday tobacco multinationals will open their eyes - and so will the authorities - before the worldwide unstoppable phenomenon of marijuana legalization. Someday... But for now, any trace of the legendary "Marlboro Greens" is little more than a joke or a rumor. A hoax with a lot of sarcasm behind, yes, but still far from reality.
This pack, which you have probably seen going around on social networks in the past weeks, is more false than a three-dollar bill.
Pure Photoshop, at least until proven otherwise. But then you wonder how can it be circulating on the internet? There's no smoke without fire... Is it true then that Phillip Morris, manufacturer of Marlboro, is ready to put marijuana cigarettes on the market, there where cannabis is legal for recreational use?
Luckily or unluckily, it is not. The news was published by a website in the US, abriluno.com, which owes its name to 'April Fools' Day', celebrated on April 1st every year. And as you may have imagined, it is a satirical publication, The Onion type.
It clearly says it at the bottom of the page, next to the 'copyright': "Any resemblance to the truth, actual events, actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and is intended purely as a satire, parody or spoof" And it case it is not clear enough, it adds: "All articles contained herein are fiction ("fake"), untrue, and for entertainment only"
Warnings that did not prevent the serious press to reproduce the news as soon as it began to move around social networks. Certain media, as usual, did not spend a minute contrasting the information or scrolling down to verify April One’s credibility. Including Russia Today, which erased the page (without explanation) as soon as the cat was left out of the bag. However, it had already been cited in numerous publications. Here is the Google cache, and a screenshot:
But not only did the busy tabloid newsrooms buy the hoax. Also news aggregators like Spanish Menéame whose users tend to be merciless with 'fakes', had its moment of glory. Until the ninth comment nobody questioned the veracity of the news, which had already accumulated a whopping figure of 29 positive votes and was moving steadily towards the front page.
Besides, it is not the first time that the 'Marlboro Greens' buzz is heard on the internet. In fact, the article, which collects a series of false beliefs about drugs in Wikipedia, has a section dedicated to disprove this long haul joke.
So no 'Green Marlboros' or “Marljuana” backed by a tobacco brand. In fact, it is practically unthinkable in the short term. In places where cannabis is already legal for recreational use (eg, Colorado), the business is in the hands of the old medical marijuana dispensaries, which for now are the only ones able to meet the requirements to qualify for a license. Camel Grass will also have to wait.
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