Portland, Oregon - Camel ORBS - candy-like tobacco tablets..

March 23, 2009 - They may look like mints but they’re loaded with nicotine. They’re called Orbs, the first dissolvable tobacco product introduced by a major tobacco company, R.J. Reynolds. The tablets hit the Portland market in January, the same month the city became smoke free in restaurants and bars.

Oregon Partnership, a nonprofit group that works to prevent drug abuse among teens says the Orbs are a danger to young people.

The tablets have some teenagers doing a double take. "It just looks like a normal mint and if it weren't in that container it would be easy to pass of as a regular mint," said Alex Hailey. “It's a tobacco product with nicotine it's addictive unfortunately kids will probably be attracted to it," said Pete Schulberg. A comparison of Camel Orbs with Tic Tacs which one is the candy - both are flavored and presented in attractive packaging.

But Reynolds denies marketing to kids, saying Orbs are meant for adults. The products are marked with warnings, it may cause mouth cancer and it’s not a safe alternative to cigarettes. While the products may be less harmful because they are smoke-free, they still contain nicotine and can be addictive, no matter what your age.

Comments regarding this article: *-Um I would just like to say, I tried one of these hyped up mints. They are the nastiest thing I have EVER tried, could not have been in mouth 3 seconds. **-This is an obvious attempt to set the hook at a young age so RJ Reynolds has another generation of addicts to fill their coffers and personally it pisses me off.

A few related news briefs:U.S. - A contradiction H.R. 1261 Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction.., R.J. Reynolds Smokeless so safe - not fair to tax.??, U.S. group acknowledged that smokeless-tobacco products are an option for reducing health risks for tobacco users.., Poison Control Centers - Camel Dissolvables - Nicotine Toxicity.., Nasal snuff another harm reduction product.., Why does R.J. Reynolds Tobacco keep on selecting Portland, OR as a test site.., Camel Tobacco Dissolvables - Natl Assoc of Attorneys General - wait and see!!, STOP the Release of Dissolvable Tobacco Products..; We must stop the launch of dissolvable tobacco products..; Reynolds America moving ahead with dissolvable tobacco products..; STOP - the Proliferation of Flavored Tobacco Products..; R.J. Reynolds Dissolvables - it looks like candy.. and Snus News & Other Tobacco Products: STOP - the Proliferation of Flavored Tobacco Products..

Reference: Some say candy-like tobacco tablets a danger to teens, By JANE SMITH, KGW Staff, 3/20/2009.