Flavored Cigarette Sales Halted in 38 States October 12, 2006
News Summary
Tobacco company R.J. Reynolds has reached an agreement with 38 state attorneys general that bans sales of most flavored cigarettes, Bloomberg News reported Oct. 12.
The company agreed to stop selling cigarettes with names like Warm Winter Toffee and Beach Breezer amid complaints that the flavored cigarettes were being marketed to children. A company spokesperson said that the marketing of the products had led to "unintended perceptions and concerns."
The attorneys general contended that the flavored cigarettes violated the 1998 master settlement agreement between the states and the tobacco industry, which includes a ban on marketing tobacco to children.
The deal on flavored cigarettes "won't end tobacco marketing to kids, but it sends a strong message to Big Tobacco that its deceitful behavior won't be tolerated," said Matthew Myers, president of Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "There is no more recent flagrant example of tobacco marketing to kids than RJR's candy- and alcohol-flavored cigarettes."
The latest agreement bans the use of 28 product names that refer to flavors other than tobacco or menthol.
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