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Mayor Leffingwell Doesn't Like Austin-Branded Camel Cigarettes

Austin-branded Camel Cigarettes
Image courtesy Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says this is the imagery Camel is using on its city branded cigarettes.

As we told you last week, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says RJ Reynolds will start selling limited edition Camel cigarette packs this winter. The packaging will feature the symbols of America's hippest locales, Williamsburg, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and of course, Austin, Texas.

That's not sitting well with many elected officials from those municipalities. Now you can add Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell to the list of disgruntled public authorities.

"We certainly do not want to be part of marketing cigarettes to young people," Mayor Lee Leffingwell said in a statement emailed to KUT News. "Austin is a great place for live music, but I do not like the concept of using our city and our music to encourage young people to take up smoking."

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion-dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on X @KUTnathan.