FDA Demands Kid Marketing Research From Reynolds

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has asked Reynolds by April 1 to provide its research into how its Camel Orbs, Strips and Sticks dissolvable tobacco products are used and perceived by people age 25 and younger. In a February letter to Reynolds, Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, said the agency is concerned that adolescents may be drawn to the products' "brightly colored packaging" and "easily concealable size." Reynolds says it only markets to adults, and positions its smokeless products as alternatives to cigarettes for times when lighting up is illegal or impractical. Reynolds is hoping the FDA will give weight to the growing legions of public health experts who say that smokeless tobacco products are significantly safer or less harmful than cigarettes; these health advocates support the tobacco industry's desire to advertise those facts to adult smokers.