Small Town News

Candy-and Fruit-Flavored Cigarettes Now Illegal in the United States

---

GRAFTON. N.D. - On September 22, 2009 a ban on candy-, fruit - and spice-flavored cigarettes went into effect in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the ban as part of the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in an effort to reduce smoking in America.

Flavored cigarettes appeal to children and teens, and the flavoring disguises the bad taste of tobacco. Many young people have started smoking because they liked the flavor of the product, and before they knew it, they were addicted smokers who were on their way to experiencing a lifetime of health problems.

Some young people have the misunderstanding that flavored cigarettes are not as harmful as regular cigarettes. Flavored tobacco products are just as deadly as regular-tasting products. They still contain addictive nicotine, and smoking any kind of tobacco product increases your risk of developing serious health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema.

In 2007, 21.1 percent of North Dakota students in grades nine through 12 were current cigarette smokers, and 5.7 percent of students in grades seven and eight were current smokers. When North'Dakota students who have tried smoking were asked when they smoked their first whole cigarette, 36.9 percent stated that they smoked their first cigarette before the age of 13.

According to the FDA, studies have shown that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as are smokers over the age of 25. A poll conducted in March 2008 found that one in five youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 had seen flavored tobacco products or ads, while only one in 10 adults reported having seen them.

We know that these flavored cigarettes were used as a way to draw in youth smokers. Banning the flavored cigarettes is a positive step toward helping children, teens and young adults in America say no to cigarettes and yes to a healthier life.

The new law specifies that, "this special rule for cigarettes prohibits a cigarette or any of its component parts (including the tobacco, filter, or paper) from containing, as a constituent (including a smoke constituent) or additive, an artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon, pineapple, vanilla, coconut, licorice, cocoa, chocolate, cherry, or coffee, that is a characterizing flavor of the tobacco product or tobacco smoke." Menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, cigarillos and other tobacco products are not included in the ban.

Any company that continues to make, ship or sell the flavored cigarettes may be subject' to FDA enforcement actions. Consumers can report continuing sales of flavored cigarettes through a special tobacco hotline (877.CTP.1373) and website (www.fda.gov/flavoredtobacco).

If you have questions about the new law, contact the North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control, at 701-328-4517 or 800-280-5512, or contact Sharon Laxdal, RN, Walsh County Tobacco Prevention Coordinator at 701-352-5139 for questions or concerns about flavored cigarettes or any other tobacco issues.



Copyright 2009 Walsh County Press, Park River, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 Walsh County Press Park River, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from Walsh County Press