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Contingencies (Other Matters) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		74 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 30, 2012	Sep. 18, 2014	Jul. 03, 2014	Jan. 27, 2015
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation Settlement, Amount	$ 90,000,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount	$ 664,000,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount
Tobacco Price Cases	1mo_TobaccoPriceCases
Israel
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Attorney Fees Ordered Paid to Defendents by Court			100,000mo_AttorneyFeesOrderedPaidToDefendentsByCourt / us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis = country_IL
Lights/Multi District Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Additional class action certifications denied, reversed, dismissed or resolved	4mo_AdditionalClassActionCertificationDeniedReversedDismissedOrResolved / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsMultiDistrictLitigationMember
Lights/Multi District Litigation [Member] | Wyatt [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation Settlement, Amount				1,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_WyattMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsMultiDistrictLitigationMember
Lights [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Additional class action certifications denied, reversed, dismissed or resolved	19mo_AdditionalClassActionCertificationDeniedReversedDismissedOrResolved / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsMember
Cases Voluntarily Dismissed	13mo_CasesVoluntarilyDismissed / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsMember
Lights/Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] | Phillips [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation Settlement, Amount					6,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_PhillipsMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember
Lights/Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] | Illinois Price [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, period of occurrence	March 2003
Loss Contingency, Date of Dismissal	Dec. 31, 2006
Lights/Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] | Illinois Price [Member] | Lights/Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Damages Awarded, Compensatory Damages	7,100,000,000mo_LossContingencyDamagesAwardedCompensatoryDamages / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_IllinoisPriceMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember
Loss Contingency, Damages Awarded, Punitive Damages	$ 3,000,000,000mo_LossContingencyDamagesAwardedPunitiveDamages / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_IllinoisPriceMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember
Subsequent Event [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Lights Ultra Lights Class Certification Cases Pending in United States						12mo_LightsUltraLightsClassCertificationCasesPendingInUnitedStates / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Subsequent Event [Member] | Lights [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Purported number of class action lawsuits served						26mo_PurportedNumberOfClassActionLawsuitsServed / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_LightsMember / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember

X

- Definition

Additional Lights cases outside of the MDL proceeding that have been dismissed, not certified as class actions or ordered de-certified; or judgment entered in favor of PM USA by various courts.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Attorney Fees Ordered Paid to Defendents by Court

+ References

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- Definition

Cases Voluntarily Dismissed

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- Definition

Lights Ultra Lights Class Certification Cases Pending in United States

+ References

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- Definition

Loss Contingency, Damages Awarded, Compensatory Damages

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Loss Contingency, Damages Awarded, Punitive Damages

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- Definition

The number of purported lights cigarettes class action lawsuits served on PM USA and Altria

+ References

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- Definition

Tobacco Price Cases

+ References

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X

- Definition

Amount of judgment or settlement awarded to (against) the entity in respect of litigation.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Date the pending litigation matter was dismissed, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

States when the existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty occurred.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 450

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14326-108349



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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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