Other marketing factors include cute camel pictures; pink colors, cute names aimed at girls, cool looking men to attract the male genders, and bright and attractive colors that tend to grab the attention of our youth. The ever popular Joe Camel will now come in packaging that will be easy to conceal and packaging that will not draw attention to the under aged users. The trickle down affect to kids aged 8-12 will be huge because these kids usually follow in their older brothers and sisters steps.
These cigarette companies are in a no holds competition for our children's health and money. There is nothing that these companies would not stoop to in order to addict one more person in this country.
The nicotine release of the products is quite high. A cigarette smoker usually takes in about 1 milligram of nicotine, which matches the exact potency of ONE orb, or pill) Camel Sticks which resemble toothpicks) have TRIPLE that amount with 3.1 mg of nicotine PER stick and they're due to be released in Spring 2009, with the Strips (.6 nicotine) to follow in the summer.
These money grubbing immoral cigarette companies feel that they should get Kudo's for putting a label warning on their candy looking product, they feel that they have done due diligence in persuading and warning teens and young children the ills of smoking, all the while they are laughing as they rake in the money. While they are stocking the candy isles at your local supermarket with nicotine saturated candy look a likes.
These cigarette companies have lied about their products in the past, present and will in the future; they have been the cause of millions of death caused by their products, cancer deaths that could have been prevented. In the past, these devil companies have deliberately put in their products chemicals that cause addiction, all for PROFIT!
I would hope that our grocery stores refuse to carry the candy looking products in the candy isles. These products need to be sold along with cigarettes behind the counters.
I think as parents we need to openly picket and boycott all our local stores that carry these products in areas that are easily available to our kids.
I also believe that there should be legislation drafted to place these types of products behind the counter, with proof of legal age. Stop the insanity of these greedy corporations; stop the pre-meditated murder of our children who will become adults with illness related to cigarette and nicotine consumption. It is our duty as parents to do what ever it takes to protect our youth. Cigarette companies are child predators who must be stopped.
In 2008, 559,863 kids have become regular smokers and 186,621 will die prematurely from their addiction.