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FDA bans flavored cigarettes as part of new tobacco control act
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In an effort to reduce smoking in America, the FDA has announced a ban on fruit-, candy- or clove-flavored cigarettes that took effect yesterday. According to a press release, the ban is authorized by the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
The ban underscores the importance of decreasing the number of children who start smoking and who become addicted to dangerous tobacco products. According data, flavored cigarettes are more appealing to adolescents. A study published in 2008 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research revealed that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over the age of 25. The FDA is also exploring options for regulating both menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products other than cigarettes.
“Almost 90% of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers,” Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, FDA commissioner, said in a press release. “These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers. The FDA will utilize regulatory authority to reduce the burden of illness and death caused by tobacco products to enhance our nation's public health.”
In an effort to enforce the ban, the FDA sent a letter to the tobacco industry informing them about the law, explaining that any company who continues to produce, ship or sell such products may be subject to FDA enforcement actions. An advisory is also available to inform parents of the risks associated with flavored tobacco products.
“Youth are twice as likely to report seeing advertising for these flavored products as adults are," Joshua Sharfstein, MD, FDA principal deputy commissioner, said in a press release. "Marketing campaigns for products with sweet candy and fruit flavors can mislead young people into thinking that these products are less addictive and less harmful.”
The agency encouraged consumers to report any continuing sales of these products through a special hotline at 1-877-CTP-1373 or on the web at www.fda.gov/flavoredtobacco.