FDA Probes Smokeless Tobacco Lozenges

The new smokeless tobacco product called “dissolvables” is the focus of a 3 day Food and Drug Administration meeting this week. Dissolvables are not a non-smoking aid—a way for smokers to satisfy their nicotine craving in non-smoking places. The products—named Camel Orbs, Camel Strips and Camel Sticks—are being tested on the market in selected cities. Public health advocates are concerned that they pose a risk to children and teens for possible nicotine poisoning and early addiction. Teens who get a hold of the products could easily avoid detection in their home or a classroom. "If you wanted to design a product that would appeal to youth and addict younger adolescents and adults to nicotine, this would be it," says Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, a pediatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "These products are designed to look like a candy and addict the user permanently."