Tobacco makers can no longer use words such as “light” and “low tar” to promote their products outside the United States, a US federal judge has ruled.

In a statement, William Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the decision by Judge Gladys Kessler a triumph for global public health.

But one leading researcher on tobacco marketing and public health warned that cigarette makers were already finding other ways to suggest that some of their products are safer than others, especially in Europe and Australia, where “light,” “mild,” and similar adjectives have already been banned in cigarette packaging and advertisements.

“The remedies were a little light, no pun intended,” K Michael …