Jump to full article: Johns Hopkins News-Letter, 2009-10-08
Author: Peter Sicher
Intro: On October 5, the Baltimore City Council moved two tobacco-related bills a step closer toward passage into law.
One bill would ban the sale of flavored wrapping paper for tobacco products, while the other would ban the sale of individual cigars.
The Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Bloomberg School of Public Health helped collect some of the data that led to the creation of the bills, according to Doctor Frances Stillman, co-director of the IGTC.
"What we see in inner city African American populations is high rates of smoking. They don't smoke many cigarettes or cigars a day, so these individual cigarettes and cigars is a good way for them to get their nicotine dose," Stillman said.
"The flavored paper is especially attractive to youths and young adults, making it more appealing for kids to starts and young adults to keep smoking."
"Both [bills] are trying to wean youths from being enticed into smoking and flavored tobacco is trying to entice kids to smoke and kids can afford to buy individual cigarettes and cigars better than a pack," said city councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who represents Hopkins's district and who co-sponsored both bills.
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