Kids Smoking Smarties Not So Sweet
Parents fuming about kids puffing candy
By MARIANNE FAVRO
Updated 6:43 PM EDT, Fri, Jul 10, 2009
Remember Smarties, that sweet treat? Kids have found a way to smoke them, and some doctors are calling them the candy cigarettes of a new generation.
Can't imagine how you'd light up the candy? No problem. There are dozens of kids on YouTube, some as young as 8, willing to school you and your kids online. If it sounds bizarre, it is: Kids crush up the candy and puff it. Some even have mastered the art of smoke rings.
Parents are fuming. Dax De Los Santos says its just one more crazy trend he'll now watch out for as he raises his 10 -year -old daughter Natalie.
Adolescent medicine specialist Dr. Seth Ammerman says smoking Smarties won't cause major health problems -- or produce the "high" smokers claim they experience. Usually kids just complain of coughing. But he says it's still dangerous behavior because kids are modeling smoking and are more likely to try real cigarettes at a young age if they think smoking smarties is cool and fun. According to the Centers for Disease Control, every day in the U.S., about 3,600 kids 12 and older try smoking cigarettes for the first time, and the Smarties trend could tempt more to try real cigarettes. That's why some doctors say smoking Smarties is for dummies.
Here's a kid talking about Smarties on YouTube:
First Published: Jul 10, 2009 3:17 PM EDT on NBC Bay Area
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