R.J. Reynolds to pull flavored smokes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. will stop using candy, fruit and alcohol names for flavored cigarettes, which are seen as appealing to youth.

Under terms of an agreement with at least 39 states, the nation's No. 2 cigarette maker also accepted a domestic ban on Camel, Kool and Salem flavored cigarettes sold under such names as "Twista Lime" and "Winter MochaMint," the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

However, Reynolds may still produce future brands of flavored cigarettes but it cannot use candy, fruit or alcoholic beverages in the name or market them in a way that appeals to youths, said Lisa Madigan, Illinois attorney general.

"In marketing their flavored cigarettes, what Reynolds did was really to lure our youth into smoking by enticing them with candy and candy flavors," Madigan told the Tribune.

Most of Reynolds' specialty "flavored" cigarettes were marketed as part of the Camel Exotic Blend family of styles, which were introduced in 1999 as a super-premium priced product, the company said in a news release, adding that "these styles represented less than 1/10th of 1 percent of the company's annual cigarette volume."