Income Taxes (Details 3)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Reconciliation between the statutory federal income tax rate and Lorillard's effective income tax rate as a percentage of income
Statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Increase (decrease) in rate resulting from:
State taxes	4.30%	4.50%	4.60%
Domestic manufacturer's deduction	(2.40%)	(2.50%)	(1.90%)
Other	0.10%	0.10%	(0.10%)
Effective rate	37.00%	37.10%	37.60%