Awareness and Enforcement

Bryan Wood, DetectiveCorona Police Department

Family Services Unit951.279.3538

Objectives:

• Familiarization with new tobacco products and marketing to the younger crowd.

• Introduce usage trends with youth.

• Provide enforcement resources pertaining to juveniles.

Corporate Marketing

“Youth Appeal?”

In recent years, tobacco companies have introduced an array of candy, fruit, and alcohol-flavored cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products, and little cigars.

R.J. Reynolds introduced Camel Exotic Blends, which came in flavors such as Twista Lime, Margarita Mixer, Beach Breezer, Warm Winter Toffee, and Winter Mocha Mint, among others.

R.J. Reynolds also recently offered alcohol-flavored cigarettes, such as SnakeEyes, Scotch, ScrewDriver Slots, and BlackJack Gin.

Swisher, Inc. offers a variety of fruit-flavored small cigars under the name, Swisher Sweets.

In addition to Phillies Cigarillos, an

extension of this brand, called

Sugarillos, offers the new option

“when sweet isn’t sweet enough.”

Phillies Blunts also have flavors such as chocolate, peach, berry, and sour

apple.

“White Owl” cigarillos and blunts also come in a large variety of flavors, including grape, peach,

pineapple, watermelon, strawberry, and wild apple.

Ads have been found in magazines popular with youth, including Rolling

Stone, Cosmopolitan, and Sports Illustrated.

Interesting Marketing Strategy

Colorful White Owl flavored cigar display near Easter candy at a Mobil gas station counter in

Washington, DC in April 2006.

With their colorful packaging, various flavors, and frequent placement near candy displays in retail outlets, cigars can easily be mistaken for candy by adults and children alike.

Just thought this was interesting…

Camel “Crush”

“Camel Crush” is a tobacco product that is “a highly engineered nicotine-delivery device, finely tuned to appeal to the taste, feel smell, and other sensations of new and addicted smokers.” When crushed, the blue capsule will release menthol flavoring.

The following products are rapidly gaining popularity among juvenile

users:

The “new wave” of smokeless, spit-less, dissolvable tobacco:

They are easily concealed, discreet, and not widely recognized as tobacco

products…

SNUS (snoose) PRODUCTS

Snus are teabag-like packets containing tobacco and other flavorings that users place between the gum and lip.

Not having to spit enables “snusers” to get their nicotine fix when they otherwise can’t.

Students admit to using Snus during class, saying, “It’s easy, it’s super- discreet … and none of the teachers will ever know what we’re doing.”

Snus Vs. Snuff:

• Snus is much more refined and powdery

• No need to spit with Snus• Manufactured differently;

pasteurized, not fermented• Both Snus and Snuff typically have

higher nicotine content than cigarettes

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is introducing three dissolvable smokeless products:

• Camel Orbs

• Camel Sticks

• Camel Strips

Dissolvable Tobacco

ORBS

• Similar size as chewable vitamins

• Lasts 15-20 minutes

• Continuously releases nicotine

• Like a toothpick

• Dissolves over 20-30 minutes

• Continuously releases nicotine

Sticks

Strips

• Similar to breath strips

• Place in mouth

• Dissolves quickly

Hard Snuff

• Comes in tablet (Orb) form• Dissolves in the mouth• Blister packages

The packaging and the flavors (i.e., wintergreen) closely resemble packs of

mints or candies.

“Stonewall Hard Snuff Tobacco” and “Ariva” are both dissolvable tablets of tobacco meant to replace cigarettes in situations where smokers cannot smoke.

Health Risk Factors• Tobacco companies do not contend that any

of the smokeless products are without health risks…

• They are required to issue warning labels on the packaging.

• Smokeless forms typically have higher nicotine content/ concentration.

• All of the preceding products contain “tobacco” and/or its derivatives…and have been associated with higher levels of hypertension, heart disease, and different forms of cancer.

Enforcement: • 308(a)(1) PC: Every person, firm, or corporation

that knowingly or under circumstances in which it has knowledge, or should otherwise have grounds for knowledge; sells, gives, or in any way furnishes to a subject under the age of 18:

• Any tobacco, cigarette, or cigarette papers, or blunt wraps, or any other preparation of tobacco or any other instrument or paraphernalia that is designed for the smoking or ingestion of tobacco, products prepared from tobacco, or any controlled substance:

• Punishable either by criminal action as misdemeanor or civil action brought by city attorney (etc.) punishable by incremental fines ($200- $1000).

Enforcement:• 308(b) PC- Every person under the age of

18 years who purchases, receives, or possesses any tobacco, cigarette, or cigarette papers, or any other preparation of tobacco, or any other instrument or paraphernalia that is designed for the smoking of tobacco, products prepared from tobacco, or any controlled substance:

• Shall be subject to fine ($75) or (30) hours of community service.

• Infraction

Enforcement:• Additionally: violations committed

by persons, businesses, and/or retailers selling tobacco in the City of Corona have restrictions as outlined in the Municipal Code.

• Most violations are misdemeanors; and/or follow a graduating fine schedule.