Colorado Urges R.J. Reynolds to Nix Testing of Dissolvable Tobacco Products
DENVER – The Colorado Board of Health has asked R.J. Reynolds to cease testing its dissolvable tobacco products, but the tobacco firm countered that it would not back out of its test marketing in the state, the Denver Post reports. In August, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment held a special hearing on new forms of smokeless tobacco products.
The board has requested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classify dissolvable tobacco products that resemble breath strips, mints and toothpicks as tobacco, which would give the agency regulatory power over the products. Currently, the FDA is looking into whether dissolvable tobacco would be under its jurisdiction.
“Camel Dissolvables are smokeless tobacco products — they are not candy or mints as some have erroneously described them,” said Richard Smith, R.J. Reynolds spokesman. “The packaging is child-resistant and is clearly labeled ‘dissolvable tobacco.’ They are sold alongside other tobacco products, their sale is age-restricted, and they are taxed at the same rate as other smokeless tobacco products.”
