Parents warned about new 'tobacco sticks'

A new tobacco product being sold in Kansas has prompted warnings from state health officials, who say the tiny "smokeless tobacco sticks" could pose a danger to children.
Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., recently began test-marketing the tobacco-coated sticks at select retailers in Kansas, including Wichita, said company spokesman Ken Garcia.
The sticks, sold in matchbook-like packs under the brand names Marlboro and Skoal, are aimed at adult smokers and snuff users who want a smokeless, spit-free alternative, Garcia said.
The sticks are coated with finely milled tobacco and come in different flavors such as "cool mint." They carry the same potential health risks as other tobacco products and bear similar warnings.
At a Wichita convenience store on Wednesday, a pack of 10 Marlboro smokeless tobacco sticks cost $2.88 before tax.
The product was designed as a way for smokers to get their nicotine fix in the growing number of places where smoking is prohibited, including airplanes, restaurants and movie theaters.
But opponents say the tobacco sticks, which taste sweet and look like chocolate-covered toothpicks, could appeal to children.
"We're concerned about minors using these products because they really do look and taste like candy," said Ginger Park, media and policy coordinator for the Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention Program.
"They're so small, the packages could easily be in a teen's pocket and nobody would know. They could use them and appear to be sucking on a toothpick.... They're not child-safe in any way."
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued an advisory this week warning parents and others about the new product. Officials said the sticks are being sold at Casey's General Stores throughout the state.
Park said the sticks could cause nicotine poisoning in small children who mistake them for candy. Ingesting just 1 milligram of nicotine can cause nausea and vomiting in a small child, she said.
The nicotine content of Marlboro and Skoal tobacco sticks has not been tested, she said. But a study in the journal Pediatrics found that a similar product — Camel Sticks, marketed by tobacco-maker R.J. Reynolds — contained 3.1 milligrams of nicotine per stick, about three times the nicotine of an average cigarette.
"A whole pack of 10 really could be toxic" to a young child, Park said.
Garcia, the manufacturer's spokesman, said multiple warnings on the tobacco sticks' packaging are intended "to make sure adults understand not to buy these for children or leave them around where children could get ahold of them."
In addition to package warnings, the word "Marlboro" or "Skoal" is printed in black letters on each stick.
Like cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, the sticks are kept behind the counter at convenience stores. Customers must be 18 or older to buy them.
"Ultimately, we share the health department's goal of not getting these into kids' hands," Garcia said.
Isaac McKibban, a Wichita convenience store manager and smoker, said he has tried the tobacco sticks in movie theaters and other places where smoking is prohibited.
"I like the idea of not having to step outside," he said. "It's a good alternative, but it's not the same sensation. ... It definitely doesn't replace cigarettes."
In a statement issued earlier this year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a national tobacco-control group, criticized tobacco sticks as "yet another way to get people, including kids, hooked on nicotine and to keep those already hooked from quitting."
The group has called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use its regulatory authority over tobacco products to closely scrutinize the smokeless tobacco sticks.
Garcia said the Virginia-based Altria Group provided all the product information that the FDA requires for a product launch.
Citing competitive reasons, he would not say why the company chose Kansas for its "limited distribution" test market. He also would not say how long the marketing might last or how long the company has been researching and developing the product.
Susan Arensman, spokeswoman for Wichita schools, said the district's safe and drug-free schools department is aware of the new smokeless tobacco sticks and "will work with schools to educate them about the products."
A policy prohibiting the use of "all tobacco products ... and look-alike products such as electronic cigarettes" means the sticks will be banned from schools, Arensman said. The policy applies to everyone working on, in or visiting district properties as well as district-owned vehicles and personal vehicles on district property.
"As a district, we don't condone any product that glamorizes a physically harmful behavior," she said.