Shoppers visiting Lloyd Center Mall this month will discover important warnings on the dangers of candy-flavored tobacco.
While candy is dandy, it’s no accident that sweet tobacco packaging and candy packaging look alike, says Adelle Adams, lead Tobacco Coordinator for the Multnomah County Health Department. Tobacco companies spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising to get people to buy their products. They see teens as replacement smokers and studies show that fruit and candy-flavored tobacco appeals to youth.
This week, the Multnomah County Health Department kicked off a 10-week campaign at the Lloyd Center Mall to educate families and their children about the dangers of flavored tobacco. Posters and banners will be up at the mall through the New Year.
Bright foil wrapping, tins that look like candy tins and sweet flavors like chocolate, strawberry, tropical fruit and vanilla don't change the fact that tobacco is harmful, Adams said.
“Flavored tobacco is just as addictive and dangerous as non-flavored tobacco.”
She reminds people that:
- All tobacco products contain nicotine, an addictive chemical that makes it very hard to quit using tobacco.
- Smoking any kind of tobacco -- cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, or hookah -- increases the risk for lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema.
- Tobacco that you don't smoke -- snuff, snus or chew -- causes gum disease and cancers of the mouth