FDA bans flavored cigarettes in first act under new tobacco laws
Looking to crack down on cigarettes that may be appealing to children, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that all candy and fruit flavored cigarettes were now illegal as the first regulation handed down under new tobacco laws.
Looking to crack down on cigarettes that may be appealing to children, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that all candy and fruit flavored cigarettes were now illegal as the first regulation handed down under new tobacco laws.
While the FDA stated its primary reason for eliminating flavored cigarettes was to decrease their appeal to children, their removal may ultimately stand to benefit those who are smoke that style of cigarette and pay more for their health and life insurance plans because of it who decide to kick the habit.
The decision to ban the cigarettes, which include fruit and clove-flavored tobacco products wrapped in paper, is authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in June and gives the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products used in the country.
“Flavored cigarettes attract and allure kids into lifetime addiction,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard K. Koh. “FDA’s ban on these cigarettes will break that cycle for the more than 3,600 young people who start smoking daily.”
Any reduction in the amount of available cigarettes may benefit more than just those who want to smoke them. A recent study conducted by James Lightwood, and Stanton Glantz, from the University of California found that cities that had instituted a smoking ban in public places saw at least a 15 percent decline in heart attack hospitalizations in the first year after the legislation was passed.
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Posted: September 24, 2009
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