Senators Call for FDA Ban on Flavored Cigars

Swisher Sweets could be the next target of federal tobacco regulation.

A group of U.S. senators is urging the Food and Drug Administration to ban flavored cigars, claiming the "candy-like flavorings" increasingly are luring teens into the smoking habit -- even as they turn away from cigarettes.

"Cigars contain the same toxic and cancer-causing chemicals contained in cigarettes, and public health experts have warned that cigars are not safe alternatives to cigarettes," the senators wrote in a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

The letter comes as the FDA exerts newly granted authority to regulate tobacco products. The FDA in 2009 officially banned flavored cigarettes. Despite some confusion at the time, the regulation did not end up applying to many flavored cigars and cigarillos like Swisher Sweets or Black & Milds, which are among the most popular cigar products in the country.

The FDA has shown an interest in regulating cigars, and the senators on Thursday urged the agency to close what they described as the "regulatory loopholes" allowing the flavored brands to stay on the shelves.

"Cigars with candy-like flavorings such as strawberry, watermelon, vanilla and chocolate attract kids to smoking and help hook them on this addictive habit," they wrote. The letter was signed by Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

But the cigar industry is fighting back.

The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association has been urging members and supporters to sign a petition to Washington warning the FDA not to regulate cigars. The petition claims regulation would "devastate" local stores across the country.

The group is worried cigar regulation -- which would stem from the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act -- could not only ban flavored cigars but ban everything from walk-in humidors to mail-order sales.

The group is trying to rally support for proposed legislation in Congress that would exempt "large and premium" cigars from FDA regulation.

The senators, in their letter, pushed only for a ban on flavored cigars. They warned that the products are becoming more popular among adolescents.

Citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stats, they said 1.8 million American high school students smoke cigars -- and another 475,000 middle school students.

"This ban would help decrease the staggering rate of cigar use by children and young adults by removing these harmful products from the marketplace," they wrote.

FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said Friday it's a bit early to be talking about any kind of cigar ban, since the FDA still hasn't determined how and whether to regulate the industry.

"We would have to start regulating them before we would even consider a ban," she said.

Resource :http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/16/senators-call-for-fda-ban-on-flavored-cigars.html

Swisher Introduces New e-Swisher Line

Rolls out electronic cigarette, cigar brands

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Swisher Sweets has introduced its newest product line: e-Swisher Electronic Cigarettes and Cigars.

Beginning in August 2012 with a limited introduction, the e-Swisher product line provides high-quality e-Cigarettes and e-Cigars assembled, tested and filled in the United States, the company said.

New e-Cigarettes are available in two tastes, Natural Smooth (Smooth) and Cool Menthol (Breeze), while the e-Cigar (Essence) delivers a unique Swisher Sweets taste. Available in convenient disposables or as a rechargeable express kit in 12mg and 18mg nicotine levels, each e-cig is equivalent to about two packs of cigarettes, making it an affordable option for today's smoker, according to the company.

Swisher Sweets cigars were introduced in 1958, and today, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Swisher International Inc. ships billions of cigars each year to more than 60 countries around the world.

Resource :http://www.cspdailynews.com/category-news/tobacco/articles/swisher-introduces-new-e-swisher-line

St. Paul bans flavored tobacco sales in convenience stores

Convenience stores throughout St. Paul have 90 days to dump their apple-flavored chewing tobacco, fruit punch cigarillos and strawberry "e-juice."

On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council voted 7-0 to prohibit flavored tobacco products on most store shelves.

A new ordinance restricts the sale of flavored tobacco to tobacco shops, which are open to customers age 18 and over.

The ordinance drew opposition from attorneys representing tobacco retailers and trade groups, who said St. Paul's convenience stores had fared well in compliance checks and were being unfairly punished.

The new rules were supported by the St. Paul-based Ramsey Tobacco Coalition, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and the Aurora-St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp.'s weekly youth group, "Vision in Living Life: Change is Possible." They maintained that tobacco companies use flavored products to entice children, especially children of color.

"I think this day today was a good day for our community, and for African-American youth," said Vision in Living Life director Damone Presley.

The new ordinance also restricts flavored vaping or "e-cigarette" products to specialty shops that are age 18-plus and derive at least 90 percent of their revenue from tobacco or e-cigarette sales.

Troy Decorsey, owner of the Love Doctor novelty shop on University Avenue, said he has operated Vape Pros, a vaping counter, within the store for three years, and he now has 90 days to dismantle


That's a setback, he said, for smokers looking to quit.

"We fight against tobacco ourselves," said store manager Michael Weiss.

The restrictions on flavored products mirror rules recently adopted by Minneapolis.

The St. Paul ordinance also sets the minimum price for cigar packages. Retailers much charge at least $2.60 per cigar for packages containing three or more cigars, or $10.40 for a package of four cigars.

Resource: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29352089/st-paul-bans-flavored-tobacco-sales-convenience-stores
Related Links :  Swisher Sweets Cigars

Flavored-tobacco ban should be widened beyond Minneapolis, St. Paul

Minneapolis and St. Paul often disagree. But when it comes to flavored tobacco, the two cities have adopted a united front that should put temptingly flavored tobacco out of easy reach for teens.

On Jan. 1, Minneapolis became the first city in the state to ban the sale of flavored tobacco in convenience stores. St. Paul has followed suit, with its ban due to take effect in April. Those efforts are needed and should be widened beyond the Twin Cities.

Minnesota has had remarkable success in curbing cigarette smoking by teens. A 2014 state survey showed smoking among teens had plummeted to 10.3 percent. However, the survey also showed that tobacco use patterns among young people were shifting. Overall tobacco use stood at 19 percent as teens shifted to cigar products and smokeless tobacco.

The state survey did not ask specifically about flavored products, but the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey did, and it revealed some disturbing statistics about the rise in popularity of flavored tobacco products among young people.

It found that 7 out of 10 students who use tobacco are drawn to heavily flavored products because they mask the harsh taste. In releasing the survey, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that "flavored tobacco products are enticing a new generation of America's youth into nicotine addiction, condemning many of them to tobacco-related disease and early death."

This rising trend is one to which many adults may be completely oblivious. Since 2009, the tobacco industry has been banned from selling fruity or candy-flavored cigarettes in the U.S. The law did not restrict flavorings of other tobacco products, though, and the availability of cheap, sweet small cigars and other tobacco products has exploded in the U.S., often carrying colors associated with candy and flavors such as watermelon, cola, pineapple and even "pinkberry."

Before the ban went into effect, Minneapolis had more than 300 outlets authorized to sell such products. That figure is now down to fewer than two dozen.

Both cities also have moved to make little cigars and cigarillos — which can sell for less than a buck a package — more costly. St. Paul's ordinance will require retailers to charge at least $2.60 per cigar for packages containing three or more cigars, or $10.40 for a package of four.

Other cities that want to prevent their young people from picking up a lifelong addiction should strongly consider similar measures.

An even better move would be to consider raising to 21 the legal age for tobacco purchase. New York City and Cleveland have already done so, and Boston will follow suit next month. That age limit will include e-cigarettes, an increasingly popular product among teens. This month, Hawaii became the first state to ban the sale of tobacco products to those under 21.

Studies show that the more available tobacco is, the more likely kids are to try it. Conversely, few who wait until 21 ever pick up the habit. Limiting the sale of flavored tobacco is a good start. Raising the age for purchasing tobacco products would be even better.

Resource:http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-st-paul-take-key-steps-to-stop-teens-from-tobacco-use/364703701/

Related Links  : Swisher Sweets Cigars

Who smokes Swisher Sweets? Teenagers, study finds

ATLANTA -- Small cigars flavored to taste like candy or fruit are popular among teens, according to the first government study to gauge their use.

About 1 in 30 middle and high school kids said they smoke the compact, sweet-flavored cigars. The percentages rise as kids get older, to nearly 1 in 12 high school seniors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The results -- based on a 2011 survey of nearly 19,000 students, grades 6 through 12 -- were published online Tuesday by the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Since 2009, the government has banned cigarettes with candy, fruit and clove flavoring, though it continued to allow menthol flavoring. There is no restriction on sales of cigars with such flavorings except in Maine, Maryland, New York City and Providence, R.I.

The sale of cigarettes and cigars to those under 18 is illegal, but according to an earlier CDC report, about 16 percent of high school students were smokers in 2011.

Health officials say sweet flavoring can mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make smoking more palatable.

Swisher Sweets, one popular brand, has flavors including grape, peach, cherry, strawberry, blueberry, wine, "tropical fusion" and "sweet."

"The so-called small cigars look like cigarettes, addict as much as cigarettes and they kill like cigarettes," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.

The small cigars are also used by some marijuana smokers, who replace the tobacco with pot.
Tobacco companies have said they oppose smoking by those under age 18. But the marketing of flavored cigars suggests companies are trying to interest kids in smoking, Frieden and others said.

"The tobacco industry has a long history of using flavored products to attract kids," said Danny McGoldrick, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and research organization.

Sales of regular and flavored cigars have boomed in the last 12 years, from 6 billion to more than 13 billion annually, according to calculations by his group.

The CDC survey also asked about menthol-flavored cigarettes. When those were included, more than 40 percent of kids who were current smokers in the survey said they were using flavored cigars or cigarettes.


Resource http://www.mercurynews.com

Sunday Reads: JoAnna Garcia Swisher Goes Back in Time Portraying the Perfect Wife

THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB – “Launch” – A new television drama series based on the book by Lily Koppel, focuses on seven women who were key players behind some of the biggest events in American history. As America’s astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, the lives of their young wives were transformed, seemingly overnight, from military spouses to American royalty. As their celebrity rose, and tragedy began to touch their lives, they rallied together. “The Astronaut Wives Club” premieres THURSDAY, JUNE 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Cook Allender) DOMINIQUE MCELLIGOTT, JOANNA GARCIA SWISHER

Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher has built a career out of making appearances on all your favorite shows. She’s been on Party of Five, Freaks & Geeks, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Once Upon a Time, and The Mindy Project.  She’s also been in the regular cast of Reba, Privileged, and Better With You, but something is different about The Astronaut Wives Club, premiering on June 18th.

The show is based on Lily Koppel’s book The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, and is set in the 1960s when astronauts were like rock stars, and their wives were a close second. If this retro-fabulous series can give culture hounds their fix of sixties glam that went missing with the end of Mad Men, ABC may have a serious hit on their hands.

“There were a lot of expectations on these women as to how they had to manage their home and maintain their image,” says Swisher. At last the women behind the men are getting their historical due. “These ladies instantly became famous—posing for magazine covers.” It wasn’t all glamor though, “These were very strong women,” explains Swisher.  “It was an extremely stressful situation. These ladies were having their husbands launched into space, unsure of what might happen.”

The women were integral to their husband’s careers. “If these first seven men weren’t married with a happy home life, they weren’t going to be chosen for the program.” Beyond that, Swisher’s character is good role model for her young two-year-old daughter she has with husband Nick Swisher of the Cleveland Indians.

Resource:http://hauteliving.com