"More teens trying flavored cigars, study finds; Over a third who smoke say they use them" by Deborah Kotz | Globe Staff, October 23, 2013
Teens have been getting hooked on tobacco by using trendy new products that skirt the rules....
It’s legal for little cigars, such as those made by Swisher Sweets, to come in grape, cherry, strawberry, and other sweet flavors, except in Maine, New York City, and Providence, which have banned the sale of flavored cigar products.
Flavorings can mask the natural harshness and taste of tobacco, making flavored tobacco products more palatable to youngsters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found....
“When we see candy and fruit flavors in little cigars, we know that’s the tobacco industry trying to hook kids,” said Erika Sward, assistant vice president of the American Lung Association. “That’s why it’s important for the FDA to move forward to aggressively regulate them.”
And yet the state is all bunged up about medical marijuana!
Senator Edward Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement Tuesday that he, too, would support such regulation. “Kids are tricked into thinking that these bubblegum, fruit, and candied flavored cigars are sweet treats,” Markey said, “when in fact they serve merely as a gateway to tobacco addiction, putting them on a path to serious diseases and premature death.”
The FDA plans to issue new guidelines on electronic or e-cigarettes and cigars in the next few months.
Swisher Sweets did not respond to a request for comment.
While cigarette smoking rates have sharply declined among middle and high school students over the past decade, the percentage of teens using e-cigarettes has been on the rise.....
They are vaping!
The battery operated devices deliver nicotine through a liquid solution that’s heated and inhaled as vapor; they also come in tempting flavors. Apollo Vapors, for example, offers Almond Joyee — marketed as “the candy bar taste without the calories” — and French Vanilla, which the company says is “like biting into a deliciously sweet vanilla cupcake.”
The FDA hasn’t determined whether e-cigarettes pose the same level of health risk as cigarettes, but some federal health officials say parents should be warning kids to avoid them.
“E-cigarettes increase the likelihood of becoming addicted to nicotine, and teens who use them are three times as likely to also use cigarettes,” said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “There’s zero reason for kids to be using them.”
But kids can get e-cigarettes easily because unlike tobacco products, which can’t legally be sold to anyone under age 18, there aren’t any age restrictions on buying them.
Little cigars are even more worrisome, McAfee said, because they are thin and contain filters causing teens to inhale the tobacco smoke deeply into their lungs like cigarette smoke — rather than puffing on them like larger, unfiltered cigars.
Over the short term, using little cigars could aggravate asthma and reduce athletic ability by interfering with lung function. A long-term habit could carry the same health risks as cigarettes, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease.
Another reason teens may be drawn to little cigars could be their reduced price....
