Group: Tax all tobacco products the same

An FDA official says 90 percent of smokers start as teens.

By Marc Kovac

COLUMBUS — An anti- smoking group said FDA restrictions instituted this week against flavored cigarettes do not apply to cigars, snuff and related tobacco products.

And the Investing in Tobacco-Free Youth Coalition is continuing its call on state lawmakers to increase taxes on noncigarette forms of tobacco, with the proceeds used on cessation and prevention programs.

“Tobacco is getting easier to buy, and we’re not investing in giving youths the information they need to make wise choices about tobacco,” said Shelly Kiser, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Ohio. “That’s a recipe for disaster for Ohio kids.”

The coalition played host to a press conference Wednesday at the Statehouse, one day after the federal ban on candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes took effect. FDA officials said the change is aimed at stopping youth smoking.

“Almost 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers,” FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said in a released statement. “These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers.”

But that ban doesn’t cover non-cigarette tobacco, including flavored cigars, strips and stick products that are “blatantly kid friendly, with bright-colored packaging and flavors like watermelon, bubble gum, cherry, grape,” Kiser said. “Use of these products is growing, while use of cigarettes is on the decline.”

Making matters worse is the fact that Ohio has different tax rates for cigarettes and other tobacco products, Kiser said. The latter are taxed at about half the rate of the former, making cigars, smokeless tobacco and other products more attractive to youngsters.

“Tax all tobacco at the same rate, and use the revenue to fund programs that help kids avoid tobacco and help addicted users quit,” she said.

mkovac@dixcom.com