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Administrators at Lake County Schools Look to Snuff out candy-flavored tobacco

Friday, January 27, 2012

At a Lake County School District meeting last week, assistant principals learned firsthand about the rise of candy-flavored tobacco products on the shelves of local convenience stores.

At the behest of John R. Schmidt, Coordinator of the Safe Schools Department at Lake County Schools, an informative presentation was given to the group of school administrators by Melaine Chin, Health Education Program Consultant for the Tobacco Prevention Program at the Lake County Health Department.

According to Chin's presentation, in the last five years flavored-tobacco products have become increasingly common in Lake County's retail stores. These products, containing flavors, such as vanilla, orange, chocolate and cherry, are especially attractive to youth. The packaging of flavored-tobacco products is bold and colorful which appeals to younger audiences but makes it more difficult to immediately differentiate between similar candy packaging.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 outlawed the sale of cigarettes containing any characterizing flavors other than menthol. This law cutoff the sale of candy-flavored cigarettes, but attributed to rise of candy-flavored cigars, cigarillos, snus, blunts and smokeless tobacco.

"These flavored-tobacco products are just as harmful as cigarettes," Chin said. "In Lake County, one in five youth between the ages of 11 and 17 have tried flavored tobacco. If there are any youth on your campus using tobacco, please cite it and enforce it."

Lake County Schools actively promotes tobacco-free campuses. This school year, the Safe School Department, in partnership with Tobacco Free Florida and the Lake County Health Department, hung banners at each campus alerting visitors, students and staff that: "Lake County School Board policy prohibits the use of tobacco products: Everywhere. By everyone. At all times."