Candy cigarettes predispose children to smoke..

August 17, 2008 - CONFECTIONERY cigarettes designed to appeal to children are making a return to stores in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, despite being banned in the state almost a decade ago (since 1999). The French Catcher "cigarettes", made from chocolate, individually wrapped in white cigarette paper and packaged in retro-style soft-top cartons similar to those used for real cigarettes, are being imported and distributed by a Hornsby company, Universal Candy. Universal Candy's owner, said he stopped importing Catcher "months ago". However, consignments may have been distributed to wholesalers in the states (Victoria and Queensland) where the ban does not apply and sent back to NSW.

A study led by Dr. Jonathan Klein of the University of Rochester, School of Medicine in a sample of 25,887 U.S. adults showed a statistical link between a history with fake cigarettes and adult experiences with real smokes—22 percent of current or former smokers had also regularly consumed candy cigarettes, while only 14 percent of those who have never smoked had eaten or played with candy cigarettes often or very often. (Study Links Candy Cigarettes to Smoking by Robin Lloyd, Live Science, 6/18/2007.)

Reference: Banned, but choc cigarettes creep back by Kelly Burke Consumer Affairs Reporter, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8/16/2008.