On a day when trick- or- treaters and candy reign supreme, Tobacco Free Florida is warning parents to pay attention to candy flavored cigars and snuff, which it says are being marketed to teens. One in three high school students reports they have tried smoking cigarettes at least once.
Teen smoking level mirrors those of adults; just under one in five. That’s down from 27 percent 15 years ago when the state started its anti-smoking campaign. Now SWAT, or Students Working Against Tobacco, say they are being targeted once again through flavored tobacco.
“For instance this orange tootsie roll flavor kind of looks like this cigar right here”, says Matthew Goodson, Students Working Against Tobacco.
Reporter: “So you think this is an obvious attempt to market to kids?”
Goodson: “I definitely agree. I definitely think so”.
Students say the flavored cigars are popular on high school campus.
“Maybe the smoking of cigarettes are down, but you see a lot of people smoking “blacks”, chewing tobacco”, says a local high school junior.
Reporter: “How popular is it?”
Local high school senior “A lot popular. Real popular. Very common”.
Federal law already prohibits the sale of candy flavored cigarettes. But a loophole allows for cigars and other products.
SWAT Coordinator Vincent Irving says the new products are a trick disguised as a treat.
“The snus product is now marketed like a mint packaging. Like you see the small mints, just pop in your mouth, the same way this product is packaged, so it makes it a little bit more friendly for those who don’t want people to know that they’re using tobacco products”, says Irving.
Dozens of cities and counties have passed resolutions opposing the sale of flavored tobacco products, but Florida law pre-empts all regulation to the state.
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