An insidious new generation of tobacco products is threatening efforts to reduce tobacco use in the United States. A new report issued today by a coalition of public health organizations describes how tobacco manufacturers take advantage of the lack of government regulation to design and market products that recruit new youth users, create and sustain addiction to nicotine, and discourage current users from quitting. Responding to declining smoking rates, tobacco manufacturers are finding novel ways to entice new users, especially children, and discourage current users from quitting.
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To stop the tobacco industry's harmful practices and protect public health, leading public health organizations urge Congress to pass pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products and their marketing.
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As a member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, Congressman Bart Gordon's vote is critical and Tennessee health advocates are urging him to sign on as a cosponsor. The Health subcommittee of Energy and Commerce are scheduled to mark-up the legislation on March 6.
The report was issued by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
In Tennessee, tobacco use causes $2.16 billion in health care bills each year and kills 9,500 residents; 26.3 percent of Tennessee high school students currently smoke.
The report details key trends including:
-- Flavored products: Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars have been introduced in an array of candy, fruit and alcohol flavors. R.J. Reynolds' Camel cigarettes, for example, have come in more than a dozen flavors, including lime, coconut and pineapple, toffee, and mint. Flavorings mask the harshness of the products and make them more appealing to new users, especially children.
-- Novel smokeless products: New and more novel smokeless tobacco products have been marketed as ways to help smokers sustain their addiction in the growing number of places where they cannot smoke. In addition to traditional chewing and spit tobacco, smokeless tobacco now comes in teabag-like pouches and even in dissolvable, candy-like tablets.
-- Targeted products and marketing: New products and marketing have been aimed at women, girls and other populations. The most recent example is R.J. Reynolds' Camel No. 9 cigarettes, a pink-hued version that one newspaper dubbed "Barbie Camel" because of marketing that appealed to girls.
-- Unproven health claims: A growing list of products have been marketed with unproven and misleading claims that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Claims have included "All of the taste... Less of the toxin" (Brown & Williamson's Advance cigarettes) and "Reduced carcinogens. Premium taste" (Vector Tobacco's Omni Cigarettes).
-- Undisclosed Product Designs: The report also illustrates how tobacco manufacturers control nicotine delivery to maximize addiction while using flavorings and other additives to make their products taste milder, easier to inhale and more attractive to children and first time smokers. A few aspects of product design not disclosed to consumers include the use of:
* Ammonia to increase the speed and efficiency of nicotine absorption.
* Eugenol and Menthol to numb the throat to minimize irritation from smoke.
* Glycerin and Cocoa to enable deep lung exposure (Cocoa produces carcinogens when burned)
* Sugars and Chocolate to make smoke milder and make cigarettes more appealing, especially to children and first time smokers.
* Filter Technology and Ventilation Holes that al
