Dangers of Flavored Tobacco Products  

Tavares – The cities of Groveland and Minneola have passed resolutions in August and November 2014 respectively that encouraged local businesses to stop selling flavored products targeted at our youth.  These cities have joined Clermont, Eustis, Mascotte and unincorporated Lake County that have passed similar resolutions since 2012. While fruit and candy flavored cigarettes were banned under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (2009), menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, cigarillos and smokeless products were not included.

“The tobacco industry is tricking young people with flavored tobacco that resembles candy” stated Feliciano Ramirez, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mascotte, a former mayor of Mascotte and a member of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Lake County. “And that is why I’m so passionate about this,” he said. “As a civic leader, educator and as a pastor, I think all those three groups need to work together”.

More than Just Cigarettes

The flavoring and lower costs of these non-cigarette and smoked tobacco products make them especially appealing to youth.  All tobacco products cause cancer, heart disease and other smoking-related diseases. Smokeless tobacco includes chew, dip, snus and a host of emerging products.  Traditional smokeless products, like chew and dip, contain 28 cancer-causing agents. Users of these products have an 80 percent higher risk of oral cancers and a 60 percent higher risk of pancreatic and esophageal cancer.

Sweet Deception

With cigarette smoking rates on the decline, the tobacco industry has created products and strategies that attract a new generation of tobacco users. The array of flavored tobacco products that appeal to youth present new challenges and concerns in the fight against tobacco use.

Learn more about the dangers of candy-flavored tobacco and how you can help protect youth from this sweet deception. Visit www.tobaccofreeflorida.com/flavoredtobacco. 

ABOUT TOBACCO FREE FLORIDA

Tobacco Free Florida is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund.  The program is managed by the Florida Department of Health, specifically the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida.

Tobacco users interested in quitting are encouraged to use one of the state’s three ways to quit.  To learn about Tobacco Free Florida and the state’s free quit resources, visitwww.tobaccofreeflorida.comor follow the campaign on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFloridaor Twitter atwww.twitter.com/tobaccofreefla.

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The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.                                                                         

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook.  For more information about the Florida   Department of Health please visit www.floridahealth.gov.