According to a Feb. 4 article by Michael Felberbaum of the Miami Herald, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is concerned that a new type of smokeless tobacco products may be attractive to teenagers and young adults, and could lead to increases in tobacco use and addiction among young people:

The FDA's Center for Tobacco Products wrote to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camel cigarettes, and the smaller Star Scientific Inc. on Monday voicing concern over smokeless products that are consumed like breath mints but made from finely milled tobacco.

"CTP is concerned that children and adolescents may find dissolvable tobacco products particularly appealing, given the brightly colored packaging, candy-like appearance and easily concealable size of many of these products," Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the Center for Tobacco Products, told the companies.

Deyton said regulators are worried the products' nicotine content and rapid dissolution could cause nicotine dependence and addiction and be especially dangerous to children and young adults.

Labels: tobacco use

Posted By: Aspen/CRC