Monday, October 14, 2013

Candy of the Day - Candy Cigarettes

Without trying to sound like an old guy, I can remember buying packs of candy cigarettes from one of those register-side candy racks. The ones I knew came in one flavor, sugar, and had the texture of chalk. If you really spent you could get a version that came wrapped in paper. This wrapper was filled with some kind of powder that would puff out when you blew through it. Of course, this was in the days of big tobacco companies steadfastly denying the science that showed a link between smoking and cancer and Joe Camel became an advertising pariah. The controversy around candy smokes has been around for a long time though and critics long have claimed the candy is a gateway to smoking. The sale of candy cigarettes even has been banned in Finland, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia


There was an attempt to reform candy cigarettes, renaming them “Candy Sticks”, but that somehow name lacks allure. Kids want to be adults and candy sticks don’t seem adult any more than juice boxes.

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