FDA Bans Candy, Fruit Flavored Cigarettes

September 22, 2009 4:11 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Candy or fruit flavored cigarettes are no more. The Food and Drug Administration banned the products Tuesday as part of a campaign to reduce smoking.

The flavored tobacco products could entice children into the smoking habit, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg. "Almost 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers," she said."These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers."

In a statement, the FDA said that studies have found that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over 25.

About 3,600 people start smoking every day, according to the FDA.

The agency also is considering regulation of flavored tobacco products other than cigarettes as well as menthol cigarettes.