The US Food and Drug Association (FDA) announced today that it has banned all cigarettes with fruit, candy, or clove flavoring. According to the FDA, the ban is authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and is part of efforts by the agency to decrease smoking rates overall.

In announcing the ban which is effective immediately, the FDA cited studies that show that adolescent smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes compared to adults. In turn, according to officials, flavored cigarettes serve as a “gateway” to lifetime smoking.

To enforce the ban the FDA has sent a letter to the tobacco industry stating that any company that continues to make, ship or sell such products may be subject to legal consequences.

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