A U.S. government report on Tuesday revealed that two out of five teens smoke flavored cigarettes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a survey on high school students. They found that 42.4 percent of teens smoke flavored little cigars, which are cheaper than the regular cigar.
The report shows that among teens that smoke, roughly 60 percent of those who smoke flavored little cigars are have no plans of quitting. That is 11 percent greater than the percentage noted among all other cigar smoker.
The CDC says sales of flavored little cigars, which have lower tax than regular cigarettes, increased by 240 percent from 1997 to 2007, whereas flavored brands account for close to 80 percent of market share.
The survey discovered that 35.4 percent of youth cigarettes smokers used flavored cigarettes – menthol cigars or flavored little cigars – that they mistook for cigarettes. The percentage rose to 42.4 percent when cigar users were incorporated.
Tim McAfee, who directs CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, stated in the report, "little cigars contain the same toxic and cancer-causing ingredients found in cigarettes and are not a safe alternative to cigarettes. Many flavored little cigars appear virtually indistinguishable from cigarettes with similar sizes, shapes, filters and packaging."
The 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey states, "Flavors can mask the harshness and taste of tobacco, making flavored-tobacco products appealing to youth.” It was also noted on the survey that cigarette smoking is still the nation's single largest preventable cause of diseases and premature deaths.
Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told USA Today, "The FDA should act promptly to assert regulatory authority over all tobacco products, including cigars. The FDA must close this loophole."
"The FDA should act promptly to assert regulatory authority over all tobacco products, including cigars," says Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, arguing tobacco companies are circumventing the ban on sweet-flavored cigarettes by marketing similarly flavored look-alike cigars. "The FDA must close this loophole."
The survey was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
