Altria Launches New Products

Recently Altria declared that it will launch its new products -Skoal Sticks and Marlboro Sticks. In such a case, Altria continues to do whatever Reynolds does even if it doesn’t know why.

Earlier, David Howard of RJ Reynolds spoke in an interview about the Camel smoke-free products such as: Camel Orbs, Camel Strips, and Camel Sticks, which are dissolvable tobacco products. In the course of interview, Howard became quite excited over the continued use by the anti-tobacco extremists of descriptors like Candy, Chewing Gum and Mint when criticizing the dissolvable tobacco products. “Camel Dissolvables are only for and promoted to adults cigarette consumers. We specify that in our advertising and point of purchase materials. All our products are labeled with adequate graphic warnings are sold from behind the counter like all other tobacco products to adults legally of age to buy smokes in that State,” Howard stated.
Several anti-tobacco extremist groups as ACS, ALA and CTFK are agitated. They declared victory when Reynolds declared they were removing the Camel Dissolvables from their two exploratory markets. However the victory was not long as Reynolds after some time announced they would start promoting the Camel Dissolvable products in two new exploratory markets - Denver and Charlotte. And now Altria enters the dissolvable’s marketplace with Marlboro Sticks and Skoal Sticks.

The same anti-tobacco extremist groups spent no time in bringing the same charge against the new Altria dissolvable products launching under the Marlboro and Skoal brand names. In its turn, Big Pharma – the maker of nicotine chewing gum in various flavors as Cherry, Fruit Chill, Fresh Mint and many others requested FDA to urge the removal of Camel Dissolvable products from the market last year. Their dissimulation is striking, yet quite familiar.

Bill Godshall, Exective Director of Smokefree Pennslyvania, has long been attempting to eradicate cigarette smoking by providing smoke free alternatives to current smokers. As Bill’s ideas and position express compassion for the nicotine-addicted, many of his former anti-tobacco adherents have abandoned him.

In a recent interview Godshall summed up the fear of the anti-tobacco extremist groups quite simply. “The reason anti-tobacco extremists wrongly state that dissolvable tobacco products are aimed to youngsters is because they don’t want adult smokers to switch from their regular smokes to these far less hazardous alternatives.”

As about the continuous use of the words candy, mints and gum by the same extremists, Godshall added the following, “Anyone who really wants to drop smoking rate among youth would never name these products candy, as doing so attracts youth usage.”