Groups want ‘candy cigarettes’ banned

MANILA, Philippines — The Action on Smoking and Health or ASH Philippines and EcoWaste Coalition have urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stop the sale of candy products mimicking the appearance of cigarette sticks.

In a joint statement issued yesterday, ASH Philippines and EcoWaste said the proliferation of these cheap cigarette-looking candies in the market “may result in young children becoming curious to try the real tobacco products.”

“Candy cigarettes desensitize children to the dangers of smoking, falsely instilling in their minds that smoking is like any normal activity desired by adults, or worse, that it is not as harmful as what has been depicted in graphic health warnings printed on the packs,” ASH Philippines executive director Maricar Limpin said.

“Such a subliminal promotion of tobacco use must be stopped to save minors from cigarette addiction later in life,” Limpin, who is also the president of the Philippine College of Physicians, added.

The groups said candy cigarettes, also referred to as smoke candies, are being sold for P21 per package consisting of 24 small packs. Each pack contains a pair of white candy sticks with colored tips resembling a cigarette filter.

The groups said the packs bear the names of 888, Camel, Hokt, Marlbovo, Pally and Marvelous, which are spoofs of some cigarette brands.

The package provides no label information about the product manufacturer or distributor and contains text in Chinese characters, the groups said.

The unregistered products were found being sold at Divisoria Mall, Mega Q Mart and along the sidewalks.