In the late 1960s, Marlboro 'Longhorn 100's' were introduced. Although colour-coded with gold, they were full flavor cigarettes, not lights.
In 1972, Marlboro became the best-selling brand of tobacco in the world. In order to comply with a 2006 court ruling in, Philip Morris (and all other cigarette companies) is now prevented from using words such as 'Lights', 'Ultra-Lights', 'Medium', 'Mild', or any similar designation that yields a false impression that they are safer than regular full flavour cigarettes. Thus Marlboro and other cigarette companies must use only color-coding instead; for example, Marlboro Lights are now called Marlboro Gold Pack. Philip Morris responded to the popularity of, the number three brand, by pushing Marlboro Special Blends, a lower-priced cigarette.