Candy cigarettes for kids spark anger

Aug 18 2008 by Cameron Hay, Paisley Daily Express

A NEW sweet shop in Paisley town centre has been slammed for selling packets of chocolate cigarettes to young children.

The cartons – which contain eight lookalike cigarettes - are selling for 40p a pack at Candy Kisses in the High Street.

Yesterday angry mum Lydia Smyth, 32, fumed: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw these packets of fake ciggies on the shelves.

“I haven’t seen them around for years and thought they were long gone. I don’t think we should be encouraging children to pretend to smoke.”

Lydia’s friend Julie, 29, from the West End of town, added: “I just think it’s irresponsible. Millions is being spent trying to discourage people from lighting up. I honestly think we should stamp out this type of sweet.”

However, Sammy Rostron, manager of the shop, played down the row over the confectionery.

She said: “It really is just a fuss over nothing. They are just sweets. If people want to buy them, and they appear to, then we will sell them.

“If they don’t then they won’t.”

And an anti-smoking campaigner has called on parents to stop their kids buying the Krakatoa and Coronation confectionery and others like them.

Last night Sheila Duffy, chief executive of Ash Scotland, warned: “Sweetie cigarettes look like harmless fun, but the research is clear. Children playing with them are more likely to go on and experiment with real cigarettes.

“The re-emergence of candy cigarettes is worrying, particularly in terms of undermining measures in the Scottish Government’s Smoking Prevention Action Plan encouraging children not to take up smoking.

“Sweet cigarettes may look innocent, but research shows children playing with them are more likely to experiment with the real thing.

“Tobacco is a highly addictive and lethal substance but candy and chocolate cigarettes make smoking look harmless and fun. We need to keep these products well away from children.”

But Simon Clark, director of smokers lobby group Forest, blasted back: “We are talking about sweets here and as far as we are concerned there is no evidence to suggest that children buying these sweets end up smoking in the future.

“We certainly do not want to see them banned and parents should use there own judgement in these situations – it is not up to politicians or anti-smoking groups.”