Candy-flavored cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are getting the attention of teens and pre-teens around the country. And that’s why we wanted to bring them to your attention. These flavored cigarettes and spit tobacco products with hip names and sweet flavors are very attractive to kids who are thinking about smoking.

What’s out there? R.J. Reynolds offers pineapple coconut, citrus, toffee and mocha mint flavors. Brown & Williamson sells cigarettes with names like “Midnight Berry”, “Mocha Taboo” and “Mintrigue”. And the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company now markets spit tobacco with flavors that include berry blend, mint, wintergreen, apple blend, vanilla and cherry.

Yet another product popular with kids is called a “bidi” (bee-dee). Bidis are small flavored filterless Indian cigarettes that also appeal to youth because of their sweet flavors. They are made up of shredded tobacco rolled into dried tendu leaves (from a plant found in India) and tied up with a string. Some of the flavors offered include cherry, vanilla, chocolate, licorice, menthol and mango.

But these sweet tasting cigarettes are not all that sweet. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an unfiltered bidi releases 3-5 times more tar and nicotine than a regular cigarette. That makes them more dangerous and more addictive than the a regular cigarette.

Take a minute to talk to your kids about these new types of tobacco products. Let them know that while they may seem like a sweet thing to try, their effects are just as deadly as any other type of tobacco.