Nationwide ban does away with flavors
Some smokers, occasional or regular, satisfy their nicotine cravings with a hint of strawberry, vanilla, chocolate or pineapple. But the days of flavored cigarettes are finished. They are no longer available on the shelves of U.S. stores, groceries, gas stations and even mall booths.
As of Sept. 22, a nationwide ban on cigarettes containing certain flavors went into effect to help curb teen smoking, thus reducing the leading cause of most preventable deaths in the U.S.
According to the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, signed by President Barack Obama in June, any part of a cigarette cannot contain any characterizing flavors such as herb, spice or fruit flavors.
This prohibition also allows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to greatly control manufacturing, marketing and sales of tobacco products in the country.
“These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers,” FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. said in an FDA news release.
A study from the FDA’s Web site states that 17-year-old teen smokers are three times more likely to purchase flavored tobacco than people older than 25 years old. The agency believes flavored cigarettes are made to cover up the unpleasant taste of tobacco, making it much easier for young people to start using tobacco products at an early age. When they begin to regularly use the flavored cigarettes, they are more likely to experiment with other tobacco products.
Another perspective from the American Cancer Society believes it is the “false image” of how these flavored cigarettes are marketed and advertised that draws people in at an early age. The group’s Web site states that manufacturers advertise flavored cigarettes as having less tobacco content and as clean and safer alternatives to regular cigarettes.
But what manufacturers don’t mention is that these flavored cigarettes contain the same harmful characteristics of regular cigarettes. Some even have higher nicotine levels. This addictive substance and other harmful ingredients such as carbon monoxide and tar are also found in both types of cigarettes.
Whether it’s masking the taste of flavored cigarettes or the false image that attracts young people, smoking is still ranked as the leading cause of preventable deaths in the country by the centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC believes that cigarettes are responsible for approximately 443,000 premature deaths each year from smoking or secondhand smoke. Smoking sickens millions of people and costs the nation billions of dollars in health care bills each year. The total annual and private health care expenditure attributed to smoking is $96 billion.
The FDA believes this federal ban will reduce death rates, smoking-related diseases and prevent adolescents from starting to smoke.
A letter sent by the FDA to cigarette manufacturers said that any company violating the federal ban may be fined, have its products seized and even be criminally prosecuted. The FDA encourages consumers to be aware of this ban and report any violators.
The federal ban does not include menthol cigarettes. However, in a report by USA Today menthol cigarettes are also becoming increasingly popular with young people.
For more information about the federal ban on flavored tobacco products, limitations or to report violators, visit FDA’s Web site at www.fda.gov.
