January 11, 2017 – Cigarillos

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Anchor lead:  The FDA is stepping out to regulate many cigarillos, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Little cigars, known as cigarillos, are coming under the scrutiny of the FDA, and that’s good news, says Enid Neptune, a lung expert and antismoking advocate at Johns Hopkins.

Neptune: The cigarillo industry specifically targets youth. Where you see these cigarillos is if you go to convenience stores or gas stations you will see them displayed behind the cash register. What jumps out is that they look like candy. They’ll have pineapple packaging, coconut, all the flavors that children associate with candy.   :22

Nepture applauds action from the FDA.

Neptune: The decision by the FDA to go after these products is helpful.  What that says is that this issue of flavorings is going to be a critical component of what’s going to be used for premarket review going forward.  :17

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.