Appearance Of New Tobacco Product Concerns Some

A major tobacco company decided to test-market a new product in Charlotte, but some say the look might appeal to children.
R.J. Reynolds, producer of Camel cigarettes recently started its second phase of testing on dissolvable tobacco products -- sticks, strips and small pills called “orbs” that give nicotine jolts. The company chose Charlotte and Denver to see if the products will catch on.
“It is worrisome that Charlotte is a test market,” said Sarah Moore, the teen tobacco prevention coordinator for the Mecklenburg County Health Department.
Moore said the packaging and design of the new products, which is very similar to gum or mints, could make children more likely to try and get hooked on nicotine.
“Dissolvable tobaccos are made to look like (gum or mint products),” Moore said.
R.J. Reynolds said the products contain anywhere from half a milligram of tobacco to 3 milligrams of tobacco.

Camel cigarettes can be of more types: Camel FF cigarettes or Camel Blue cigarettes.
The average smoker consumes about 4 milligrams per cigarette.
An R.J. Reynolds spokesman said the company chose Charlotte because it has enough tobacco users.
The company said anyone who refers to dissolvable tobacco as candy or mints is perpetuating false and misleading information and that the products are age restricted with health warnings in child resistant packaging.
But Moore said the packaging doesn't warn people about one ingredient: a flavoring called coumarine. The FDA banned it from food products because it has been linked to liver damage.
That's why Moore visits schools like Butler High School in Matthews, where students sign a no tobacco pledge. Channel 9 asked them about this latest offering from the tobacco company.
“The fact that it looks like gum or candy may make it more appealing to children,” said senior Stephen Amoah.
“It honestly looks like Altoids or the Listerine packs,” said senior Cierra Burdick.
They said they know the risks, and Moore said every parent should make sure their children do, as well.
“Be nosy,” Moore said. “Find out what’s going on and educate them about the dangers.”
R.J. Reynolds insisted that benefits of this new type of tobacco include no secondhand smoke for others to inhale, no spitting and no cigarette butts to discard.

Need to target illegal smokes

It's fascinating to watch the political dance around tobacco.Politicians tell us all about the evils of smoking tobacco and offer very public displays to curb people of the habit.But at the same time, they sit back and rake in the taxes drawn from people buying the legal product.

In recent years, we have seen greater restrictions on where people can smoke and how vendors can display and sell tobacco products.

The latest is the unveiling of new warning labels on cigarette packages that will take up 75% of the pack with more graphic pictures and updated information.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq also reiterated the government's commitment to better use social media in its anti-tobacco crusade.

That's fine, as far as it goes.

We have a responsibility as a society to create healthy communities, and eradicating smoking is a big part of that.

It's a dangerous habit, not only for those indulging but also for those in close proximity to smokers. The dangers are well documented, from heart disease to cancer to emphysema to the esthetics of brown teeth and yellow fingers.

But none of this is news.

Government needs to do better than new cigarette labels and the odd message on Facebook.

It's reminiscent of comedian Denis Leary on his 1992 live album No Cure for Cancer: "You could have cigarettes that were called 'the warnings'. You could have cigarettes that come in a black pack, with a skull and a cross bones on the front, called 'tumours,' and smokers would be lined up around the block ..."

Tobacco is a product minors can't purchase, but they are free to consume it if they so choose. Why is that? Treat it like alcohol and levy fines for underage smoking.

But if government really wanted to get serious about tobacco, it would start with making a real, concerted effort at stopping the contraband trade of cigarettes. The black market doesn't follow the rules set by government, including restrictions on sales to minors and what is displayed on the package.

Contraband cigarettes are made with different cigarette brands like:Camel cigarettes or Viceroy cigarettes.

The sale of illegal cigarettes is the elephant in the room whenever the government talks about anti-smoking measures.

And the bonus, for government anyway, is the more it does to stop the tobacco black market, the more it will see its tax revenues rise from the sale of legal tobacco products.