New Products on Tobacco Market

Source from:  Beloit Daily News 10/26/2009

Rock County Youth 2 Youth Director Debbie Fischer said there are plenty of new challenges for her organization with the array of smokeless tobacco products coming out. In the past two years R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris USA have moved into the smokeless tobacco market as cigarette sales keep falling. "The tobacco industry is coming out with new spitless products, and they are really scary," Fischer said. Because many of the products don't emit smoke, Fischer said it can be difficult to know if children are using them. The products are colorfully packaged, and often resemble candy or breath freshener strips, attracting children's curiosity. For example, Camel has dissolvable pellets called Camel Orbs. They also manufacturer twisted sticks called Camel Sticks and a film strip for the tongue known as Camel Strips. The products are made from finely ground flavored tobacco, and melt in the mouth within three to 30 minutes, according to http://tobaccoproducts.org. There are also smokeless pouches which sit in the mouth and don't have to be spit out, according to USA Today. One of the more high tech products are electronic cigarettes, also known as "e-cigarettes." The battery-operated devices, similar in appearance to traditional cigarettes, generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns nicotine and other chemicals into a vapor inhaled by the user, according to www.makesmokinghistory.com. One popular brand of electronic cigarettes is NJOY. When inhaling NJOY a vapor mist is emitted, and is evaporated into the air within a few seconds. NJOY leaves no visual residue in the air or lingering smell in clothes, a home or car, or other places, according to NJOY's Web site, www.njoythefreedom.com. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in July of 2009 that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals. Another problem, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is that the products are marketed and sold to young people in addition to being online and in shopping malls. Often, e-cigarettes do not contain any health warnings comparable to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes. The good news, according to Fischer, is that 87 percent of teens in Wisconsin do not smoke and 95 percent do not use spit tobacco. Enditem