Candy Flavored Tobacco Still Cancer Causing

Candy Flavored Still Cancer Causing

By Jessica Hoag, RN, TTS, TPS

Taste like candy, smells like candy, must be okay, right?  Wrong!  Tobacco companies have been flavoring their products to attract a youthful demographic.  The thought of  candy is synonymous with being young, children, trick-or-treating, candy machines, something fun and sweet.  The tobacco companies use this ideology to market their same old product to new generations.  The tobacco industry must continually attract new customers, because many of their current customers either quit or die from the adverse health effects caused by tobacco.  Unfortunately, tobacco claims the lives of an estimated 430,000 Americans every year.  The types of flavorings that are being used include cherry, grape, vanilla, orange, chocolate, and coffee.  The Food and Drug Administration made the sale of flavored cigarettes, with the exception of menthol, illegal in September 2009.  However, there are still many other tobacco products on the market to lure potential users with their sweet flavoring.  These products include cigars, cigarillos, and smokeless tobacco products.  Some of the current products are meant for concealability, so under-age users can conceal the products and use them during school hours.  A few examples of these products include SNUS, orbs, strips and sticks, which all contain nicotine, the addictive property in tobacco products.  If you would like more information, contact Jessica Hoag, RN, TPS at 352-793-2701, ext. 298. 

Statistic and FDC information obtained from www.fda.gov.