Source: FOX21News
Author: Tracee Tolentino

DULUTH – The tobacco industry is offering new products and finding new ways to attract and keep customers. However, health advocates say the new products are just as dangerous, and the customers are getting younger and younger.

“Most 6-year-olds, if you queried them, they would know who Joe Camel is,” said Michele Hughes of the Douglas County Health Department.

Now, with the introduction of new smokeless tobacco alternatives, there are new ways that young adults can get hooked to nicotine.

“They’re out there as the ‘good guy’ or look, these aren’t quite as harmful, but indeed these are deadly products that lead to a lifetime of addiction and this is an industry that is out for our youth,” said Pat McKone of the American Lung Association of Minnesota.

Many new tobacco products are more appealing to younger customers, with bright packaging, candy flavors and the illusion of a “safer” nicotine delivery source. McKone warns that these products are tricks.

The alternative products include forms of snuff, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes or snus, which are spit-less tobacco pouches that users place under their upper lip.

“These products are to enable people to keep using nicotine and nicotine delivery systems until they can get out to smoke,” said McKone.

The popularity of these products has increased as more states have adopted smoking bans for workplaces and businesses. Minnesota’s ban is already in place and in July, Wisconsin will follow suit.

“80% of current adult smokers started between the ages of 14 and 15 years old so if we can not get those kids access to tobacco, that’d be very good,” added Hughes

With the continuing push of new tobacco products, health professionals say it’s more important than ever to educate young people.

“They aren’t safer,” said Hughes, “I mean you can ingest them as well and get stomach cancer. Any kind of tobacco has carcinogenic side effects.” In addition to stomach cancer, some of the new products have also been linked to oral and pancreatic cancer.