Merkley wants FDA recall of dissolvable tobacco ‘candy’
KTVZ – WASHINGTON – In the wake of a new study outlining numerous cases where children have been poisoned by tobacco candy, Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Ohio's Senator Sherrod Brown called on the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday to immediately remove the products from the market.
"The flavoring, appearance and packaging of tobacco candy are clearly designed to appeal to children. The tobacco companies even shaped the containers to look like a cell phone in a student's pocket, making it hard for teachers to detect and intercept them," said Merkley.
"Now we have even more evidence that children are not only obtaining these candies, they are being poisoned by them. We must remove this dangerous product from store shelves as soon as possible."
"With 400,000 of their customers dying every year due to tobacco-related illnesses, it comes as no surprise that tobacco companies are trying to attract new customers. What is surprising is the extent they are willing to go to target our nation's children," said Brown.
