Chemical Assaults And Redefining Child Abuse
Recently, the ‘City Fathers’ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to radio news reports, are going after chemically-flavored tobacco products, which are marketed and positioned in convenience stores so as to attract youngsters who are smoking them. KYW radio reports claimed Philly’s mayor, Jim Kenney [D], successfully launched the “soda tax” and now he’s going after flavored tobacco products, which young kids are using.
The interesting part of the news reports, for me, is those chemically-flavored tobacco products—cigars, in particular—were talked about as being “chemical assaults” upon children. How interesting! Can we take that concept of assault a legal tad-bit further and call it “child abuse”?
The products, which apparently have been targeted, are little cigars and cigarillos, which often sell for less than a dollar. Then there are “blunts and wraps,” which come in fruit and candy flavors.
Other tobacco products, which are flavored and can appeal to youngsters, include E-liquids, and E-juice used in vapor products, i.e., E-cigarettes. Chewing tobacco also is ‘deliciously’ flavored. Formaldehyde has been found in the aerosols from E-cigarettes.
According to a 2009 National Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, 13.2% of male high school tobacco users smoked cigars only; 15.3% used smokeless tobacco only; and 19.2% used cigarettes + smokeless + cigars [1]. Furthermore,
Historical data suggest that, over the last century (the 1900s), young people living in the United States started to smoke at progressively younger ages. By 1955–1966, women, especially, were smoking at younger ages (USDHHS 1994). [1, Pp. 190-191]
Regarding cigar use,
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