Freshman Jason Cupp said he was angry when he learned the Federal Drug Administration banned flavored cigarettes Tuesday and immediately bought a local store's last three flavored packs.
"I was just really surprised that [the FDA] could do that," Cupp said. "It's just kind of stupid. I don't know what to say or how to react, because they banned it ... It's just kind of frustrating."
The ban is "part of a national effort by the FDA to reduce smoking in America," according to an FDA news release. It is now illegal for companies to make, ship or sell cigarettes with flavors characterizing fruit, candy or clove. The ban was authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which President Barack Obama enacted in June. The FDA said the ban was passed to help prevent teenagers from starting smoking, calling flavored cigarettes a "gateway" for youth to become regular smokers. The organization is also considering regulating menthol-flavored cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
Cupp, a telecommunications major whose favorite flavor is Djarum Black clove cigarettes, said he only smokes flavored cigarettes about once every three weeks. He said he does not smoke unflavored cigarettes.
"I think [the FDA's reasoning is] kind of an insult to people of age who make the conscious decision to put that stuff in their body," he said. "Cigarettes aren't illegal."
Cupp said he smokes flavored cigarettes because they taste good.
"They're like a spiced tobacco," he said. "I mean they're equally as bad for you as cigarettes, [but] they don't taste like cigarettes; they taste good. They go down smooth. They've got like a sweeter flavor to them."
Austin Yoder, manager of 420 Underground in the Village, said he is not happy about the ban either. The store does not sell flavored cigarettes, but it does sell other flavored tobacco products, which Yoder had to take off the shelves Wednesday.
"As of this afternoon, I had to damage out several hundred dollars worth of merchandise, including flavored papers, blunt wrap and also closed cigarettes," he said.
Yoder, a smoker, said he thinks the FDA used protecting minors as an excuse to pass another smoking ban.
"You can't get rid of flavored vodka or wine coolers just because they could be marketed to attract an underage crowd," he said. "Cigarettes are for adults, [but] you will always have underage or minors wanting to do things they don't get to do. I really don't think this ban is going to help curb underage smoking whatsoever."
The FDA cited a study that found 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers older than 25 as a reason for the ban. The study was conducted by authors affiliated with West Virginia University's School of Pharmacy and the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center's Translational Tobacco Reduction Research Program.
Employees at Wishbone Gifts Inc., a local store that sells tobacco products among other things, said they see customers of all legal ages purchase flavored tobacco products.
Kassie Ferguson said people younger than 18 couldn't see the flavored tobacco products or go into the room where they were sold at Wishbone.
Cupp said although he is disappointed by the ban, his life will go on.
"I'm just glad I'm not addicted to them," he said.
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