Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City addresses the sale of candy-like nicotine products sold across Iowa. She supports limiting sales of these products to adults 18 and over. Photo: Ragan meets with children concerned about these products.|
New nicotine-spiked products that look, taste and smell like candy are increasingly sold across Iowa. Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City supports limiting sales of these products to customers 18 or older, due to their the appeal to youth and danger of nicotine poisoning young children. On Monday, Ragan met with Asa Shorkey (right) and Claire Meyer (middle), two children concerned about candy lookalikes that are loaded with nicotine.
In a related story in the Des Moines Register:
“Candy that contains nicotine should be restricted so that Iowa children don’t eat it, two state senators said today.
Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, showed reporters a collection of Tic-Tacs, mints and other candy that looked very similar to the nicotine products, which come in strawberry, grape and banana flavors.
Hogg said the tablets he’s targeting has up to three times as much nicotine as in a one cigarette, and ingestion of multiple tablets by a young child could lead to vomiting, seizures or death.
Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said he thinks the tobacco industry has crafted the products to try to get kids hooked on nicotine.”
