New Tobacco Products Could Be Mistaken For Candy

It may look like candy, but purchase with caution - tobacco companies are just becoming more creative in their approach to marketing smokeless tobacco. Products that are packaged like candy are not only appealing to adults, but to children as well; and while the nicotine is pleasing to some, children are becoming poisoned by it. A research team recently discovered that nicotine poisonings caused by smokeless tobacco products are the second highest amongst children. This study can be found in the journal Pediatrics. The new products, which are currently being test-marketed in three cities, include Camel Orbs, which resemble breath mints; Camel Sticks, which are about the size of a toothpick and dissolve in the mouth; and Camel Strips, which are similar to breath-freshening strips. While the packaging is 100% child-resistant in accordance with Consumer Product Safety Commission standards, and states to "keep out of the reach of children" parents should still be sure to keep these new products out of sight. According to Greg N. Connolly, DMD, the director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston and reprinted on Health.com, "just under 0.5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight is the minimum lethal dose for children." These accidental poisonings are definitely a concern, but so is the increase in people who are using these products. The use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents increased 6% per year from 2002 to 2006.