Research.pdf

Cigarettes with specific characterizing flavors, except menthol, were prohibited in the US in 2009 as part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Despite this, the market for flavored tobacco products has grown, with the industry introducing and marketing flavored e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and hookah. These products often have colorful packaging and sweet flavors, making them appealing to kids. Flavored tobacco products play a key role in enticing new users, particularly kids, to a lifetime of addiction. The 2024 Surgeon General's report found that the tobacco industry has designed and marketed menthol cigarettes and other tobacco products to deliver multisensory flavor experiences that increase the likelihood of tobacco initiation, addiction, and sustained use.

Flavored cigars have seen an explosive growth, with sales more than doubling between 2000 and 2023. These products are often cheap, colorfully packaged, and come in kid-friendly flavors such as gummy bear, berry blend, and chocolate. The top five most popular cigar brands among 12- to 17-year-olds who have used cigars all come in flavor varieties. Electronic cigarettes also come in a wide variety of flavors, with over 15,500 unique flavors available online as of 2017. The marketing of e-cigarettes employs strategies similar to those used by cigarette manufacturers, including celebrity endorsements and candy-like flavors.