Are children who play with candy cigarettes more apt to become
smokers? According to a recent Harris Poll, the statistical answer is yes.
25,887 U.S. adults were polled about their exposure to candy cigarettes as
kids, and their subsequent smoking habits.
22 percent of smokers had also consumed candy cigarettes when young, compared to 14 percent who had played with cigarette-candy but never took to smoking.
Study leader, Jonathan Klein of the University of Rochester states, "Candy cigarettes cannot be considered simply candy," pointing out that they are a marketing ploy that desensitizes kids to make them more open to the idea of smoking later on.
The
true cost of smoking is truly staggering. Unfortunately, simply
cutting down does virtually nothing to cut your risk of cancer--the only way to stop the downward spiral is to quit entirely. One great way to help smokers quit is the
Emotional Freedom Technique, which can help reduce cravings and addictive patterns of all kinds.
I also believe that
sugar is actually more harmful to your health than smoking, so the idea of candy-cigarettes--which can get them hooked on either--is simply a bad idea.
Preventive Medicine July 2007Live Science June 18, 2007