{"id":1216,"date":"2023-05-05T13:25:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T13:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=1216"},"modified":"2023-05-05T13:25:16","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T13:25:16","slug":"california-says-new-cigarettes-appear-to-violate-states-flavored-tobacco-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=1216","title":{"rendered":"California Says New Cigarettes Appear to Violate State\u2019s Flavored Tobacco Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"
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California\u2019s attorney general is warning two tobacco companies that their new cigarettes appear to violate a state ban on most flavored tobacco products that was upheld by voters last year.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Rob Bonta sent letters<\/a> to R.J. Reynolds and ITG Brands LLC, dated April 25, warning that the packaging and promotional materials for nine reformulated versions of Camel, Newport, and Kool cigarettes were likely against the law.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s ban includes menthol-flavored cigarettes, and the state said it determined after a review that the products are \u201cpresumptively flavored under the California flavor ban law.\u201d It gave the companies until June 23 to respond.<\/p>\n

The federal government last year announced plans<\/a> to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, and tobacco companies\u2019 response to the California law has been seen as a preview of how they would handle a national ban. Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts also ban flavored tobacco, which a 2021 survey<\/a> by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found was favored by young smokers. The mint flavor in menthol cigarettes has a cooling effect that can blunt harsh cigarette smoke, making it easier to start smoking.<\/p>\n

R.J. Reynolds, which produces the seven Camel and Newport varieties challenged by the state, said Thursday that its cigarettes comply with the law and that it will work with the attorney general\u2019s office to make sure they can still be sold in California.<\/p>\n

The cigarettes \u201cdo not impart a distinguishable taste or aroma other than tobacco,\u201d the company said. \u201cWe market these products to clearly indicate that they are non-menthol.\u201d<\/p>\n

R.J. Reynolds said California\u2019s review of its cigarettes was based on packaging and marketing materials, not the cigarettes themselves. ITG Brands did not respond to repeated requests for comment.<\/p>\n

The attorney general\u2019s letters include examples of marketing materials and a side-by-side comparison of the similar-looking menthol and non-menthol cigarette packaging, and assert that the companies promote the new varieties \u201cas substitutes or replacements\u201d for menthol-flavored cigarettes.<\/p>\n

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Camel promises \u201csmooth tobacco flavor and a crisp smoking experience,\u201d while Kool\u2019s marketing says it is \u201cstill bold\u201d and \u201cstill smooth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever compromise, California,\u201d urges the Newport brand. \u201cIntroducing what\u2019s next in fresh. The non-menthol for menthol smokers.\u201d<\/p>\n

California\u2019s ban was approved by state lawmakers in 2020, but it was delayed when tobacco companies gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters. After it was upheld by nearly two-thirds of voters last November, it took effect on Dec. 21.<\/p>\n

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids called the attorney general\u2019s letters \u201ca significant step forward\u201d that \u201cis sending a clear message that California is serious about enforcing the law and will not tolerate the tobacco industry\u2019s efforts to evade it.\u201d It said the new cigarettes \u201chave a cooling flavor similar to menthol.\u201d<\/p>\n

The attorney general\u2019s office cited a portion of the law<\/a> that creates \u201ca rebuttable presumption that a tobacco product is flavored\u201d if the manufacturer markets it as being flavored. That includes using labeling or packaging \u201cto explicitly or implicitly communicate that the tobacco product has a characterizing flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The specific products being challenged are Kool Non-Menthol, Kool Blue Non-Menthol, Camel Crisp, Camel Crush Oasis Silver, Camel Crush Oasis Blue, Camel Crush Oasis Green, Newport Non-Menthol Green, Newport EXP Non-Menthol Mix and Newport EXP Non-Menthol Max.<\/p>\n

This article was produced by <\/em>KFF Health News<\/em><\/a>, which publishes <\/em>California Healthline<\/em><\/a>, an editorially independent service of the <\/em>California Health Care Foundation<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n