FDA Warns Tobacco Companies About Flavored Cigarettes Loophole

iStock/Thinkstock(SILVER SPRING, MD) — The Food and Drug Administration sent warning letters to four tobacco manufacturers on Friday for selling flavored cigarettes that are labeled as “little cigars” or “cigars.”

A 2009 law banned the sale of cigarettes with sweet flavors that were thought to entice children and put them at risk of developing an addiction to smoking.

The four tobacco companies – Swisher International LLC, Cheyenne International LLC, Prime Time International Co. and Southern Cross Tobacco Company Inc. – sold products with flavors including grape, cherry, wild cherry and strawberry.

“Flavored cigarettes appeal to kids and disguise the bad taste of tobacco, but they are just as addictive as regular tobacco products and have the same harmful health effects,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement. “Because about 90 percent of adult daily smokers smoked their first cigarette by the age of 18, continued enforcement of the ban on cigarettes with characterizing flavors is vital to protect future generations from a lifetime of addiction.”

The FDA found that the so-called “little cigars” and “cigars” meet the definition of cigarettes under the Tobacco Control Act, because they are likely to be bought as cigarettes based on their appearance and packaging.

The companies have 15 days to respond to the FDA’s letter to avoid fines or federal lawsuits.

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