Flavored cigarettes, colorful wrappers ignite ire

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.