Report" Kids Tobacco's 'Guinea Pigs'

Source from:  theheraldbulletin.com By Jason M. White  02/29/2008

A recent report detailed how tobacco companies recruit new young customers, keep smokers hooked and take advantage of loose government regulations. The report was released by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, American Heart Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Tobacco companies have targeted youth for decades, but are coming up with newer tactics in response to fewer people smoking nationwide, said Wendy Cook, Drug Free Communities project coordinator for Madison County. Trends identified in the report include: • Tobacco products offered in a variety of flavors, including fruit, lime and pineapple, which are appealing to children. • Marketing aimed at women and girls. For example, Camel has made a pink cigarette that appeals to girls. • New smokeless products people can use in places where smoking is banned. For instance, consumers can now buy smokeless tobacco in dissolvable tablets. These are designed to keep people hooked on nicotine. • New smokeless products that appeal to teens. About two years ago, Madison County was the test-market site for chewing tobacco in packages that resembled flip cell phones, Cook said. • Certain cigarette companies saying their products are less harmful than their competitors', without any factual basis for their claims. • The creation of cigarettes that maximize nicotine addiction, but make smoking less irritable. This is attractive to first-time smokers. "America's kids are big tobacco's guinea pigs," said Shelly Dunham, with the anti-tobacco group Voice. "For decades, the industry has taken advantage of the lack of government regulations to design new and even deadlier products." The government is considering several pieces of legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration permission to ban candy-flavored cigarettes, further restrict tobacco marketing, ban health claims that would discourage people from quitting or encourage people to start, require bigger health warnings on tobacco products and ban terms such as "light" and "mild" from tobacco products. Legislation is almost always being considered but hardly ever passes, Cook said. This is unfortunate, because tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the country, she said. Enditem