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State Action to Stop RJR from Marketing Candy-Flavored Cigarettes is Major Step, But More Must Be Done to Stop Tobacco Marketing to Kids (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids) 

Today's announcement by several state attorneys general that they have reached a settlement with R.J. Reynolds to stop the marketing of candy and alcohol-flavored cigarettes in the United States is a welcome step forward in restricting the marketing of tobacco products to America's children. The fact that RJR agreed to stop marketing these blatantly youth-oriented products only when threatened with legal action speaks volumes about the tobacco industry's continued efforts to market to kids, as confirmed by U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler in August when she found the major cigarette companies guilty of violating civil racketeering laws.

There is no more flagrant recent example of tobacco marketing to kids than RJR's candy and alcohol-flavored cigarettes. . . .

Despite their claims of reform, the evidence is clear that the tobacco companies continue to mislead consumers and market to children, as Judge Kessler found in her recent ruling: "Defendants continue to engage in many practices which target youth, and deny that they do so." R.J. Reynolds' marketing of candy and alcohol-flavored cigarettes is a prominent example. RJR has marketed candy and fruit-flavored versions of its Camel cigarettes with names like Kauai Kolada, Twista Lime, Warm Winter Toffee and Mocha Mint. RJR has also marketed alcohol-flavored cigarettes and, under pressure from state attorneys general, stopped a promotion called "Drinks On Us" that involved coasters with mixed drink recipes and slogans encouraging binge drinking.

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