PLEASE NOTE: I do NOT condone underage smoking, I am a firm believer that second-hand smoke is dangerous, I DO NOT smoke around children or non-smokers, and I am FULLY AWARE that smoking will eventually kill me. This is just a rant and nothing more, DO NOT TAKE THIS PERSONALLY FOLKS! Now, enjoy the show!
By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY Their boxes carry brand names such as Sweet Dreams, with flavors such as chocolate, vanilla and "Twista Lime." But these products aren't jelly beans or breakfast cereals. They're cigarettes, and critics say they're designed to lure kids into lighting up. A report released today from the American Lung Association criticizes so-called candy-flavored cigarettes, often sold in brightly colored packages. "Caribbean chill? Mocha mint? These sound like ice creams to me, not something that kills you," says Cassandra Welch, who wrote the association's report. "It's just a way to addict young people." Tobacco makers say they're just trying to get adult smokers to switch brands by offering a wider array of choices. • Kool's "smooth fusion" cigarettes come in "midnight berry" and "mocha taboo." • Camel offers flavored cigarettes year-round, as well as seasonal products, such as pineapple coconut in the summer and toffee in the winter. • Skoal chewing tobacco varieties include apple and berry. • Lesser-known brands of cigarettes called Sweet Dreams and California Dreams, made by California-based Kretek International, come in bright or pastel wrappers. The manufacturer has stopped producing two controversial brands, however, which have drawn fire for their bubble-gum-like flavors. Kretek officials said in a statement that it stopped producing Liquid Zoo cigarettes, criticized for their name and cartoonish package, about two years ago. The company halted distribution of Stars cigarettes when it purchased the brand's former manufacturer, Quintin International, over concerns about some flavor names, which included "cherry cheesecake" and "cinnaberry." Officials say that small amounts of these products may still be on shelves, however. Although the 1998 tobacco settlement forbids targeting children with cartoon characters such as Joe Camel, critics note that flavored cigarettes often are marketed with drawings. "They can't use cartoons, but they get pretty close," says Danny McGoldrick, director of research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Anti-tobacco groups also argue that sugary flavors may soften the experience of smoking for the first time. Mike Bazinet, a spokesman for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, which makes Skoal, notes that many adult products are fruit-flavored, from raspberry vodka to cherry antacids. And Fred McConnell, a spokesman for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., which makes Camel and Kool brands, says flavored cigarettes are priced to make them less affordable to children.
Ok folks. Give me a frickin' break. REALITY CHECK: Cigarettes have come in colorful wrappers, flavors, and perfumes for decades. I remember back in high school, the year was somewhere around 1988 or 1989 - my girlfriends and I used to go up to Strauss Tobacconist at Rupp Arena in Lexington and buy clove, perfumed, flavored, and foreign cigarettes. The labels on some of these stated that they have been around since the 1800's. Cloves - maybe even centuries. I should be able to buy these if I like. I am over 18, it is a legal drug, and plus, I SMOKE.
My point is this - GET A LIFE. Go after Big Alcohol for a change or those idiots paying 50K for a clone of their dead kitty when there are perfectly NORMAL kitties down at the pound who need a home instead of a lethal injection. Go after the parents of rowdy teens that have rainbow parties where they do ecstasy, give 13 year old boys rainbow jobs, chug vodka, and go to jail for blowing the school up - go after these parents who are LETTING their kids smoke and drink because they not paying attention to them. I have never seen any one get mad on cigarettes, get in a car and kill someone – only drunk rednecks and the Kennedy’s do such things.
Hypothetically speaking - say they win this fight against smokers. Tobacco becomes against the law. No more smoky treats or dippy dip dipping. What is next for these self-righteous losers with too much time on their hands? Not only will the government loose tax money and have to gouge us someplace else to get it - a lot of farmers and commerce companies, not to mention lawyers, judges, and court stenographers will loose their jobs. So, what will be their next "cause"? Dr. Pepper? Chocolate? Viagra? Aloe tinted toilet paper?
The husbands of Cassandra Welch and her cronies are lonely men. No wonder the porn industry and Vegas tourism is up a whopping 200,000 percent. They are venting and ragging against Tobacco, while unconsciously promoting blackjack and hookers.
I hope they all catch lice and itch for days.
