There's good news and bad news of the teen tobacco front. The good news is that teen smoking is on a downward trend. The bad news is that teen smoking may be declining because teens are now favoring other forms of tobacco.

Tobacco companies have releases fruit flavored cigarettes which they claim were created in an effort to coax adult smokers into switching brands. Quit smoking advocates aren't buying it. They say the tobacco companies are up to their old tricks targeting teens. Get teens hooked on smoking early and the tobacco companies can count on decades of profits. It's like an annuity. Smokers need to buy cigarettes every time they run out which is just what the tobacco companies want.

Still teen smoking has in fact fallen in recent years. Less than 20% had smoked a cigarette in the past year and less than 35% had ever smoked a cigarette at all. Perhaps irrefutable proof that the cumulative effect of years of cigarette smoking will kill you or at least cause severe discomfort from emphysema and other smoking-related diseases had finally gotten through to teens. Fewer teens are even starting to smoke with the number of new smokers under 18 in decline for 3 consecutive years.

Flavored cigarettes and even flavored smokeless tobacco was introduced last year. Similar to the candy and gum teenager love, the flavored tobacco comes in several flavors including vanilla, apple, coconut, berry, mint, and citrus. These new tobacco products use many of the themes known to appeal to youth through looking at what candy manufacturers do to market their products. Tropical themes and ice-blue cool flavors are popular examples. And these new flavored tobacco products weren't developed to attract teen smokers?

Tobacco companies are insistent that the flavored tobacco products are only tested on adults in an effort to get them to switch brands. Other industries such as the alcoholic beverage industry has used the same tactic effectively with the introduction of products like Zima and Mike's Hard Lemonade. The tobacco industry is not a multi-billion dollar industry because they aren't great marketers.

Detractors point to colorful packaging with stylish designs and youth-oriented themes such as hip-hop music. Critics say the tobacco industry is engaging in double speak and that while it may be true that one of their goals is to attract existing adult smokers to their brand that is a secondary goal that plays well in public and hides the primary goal which is to attract new teen smokers by masking the tobacco flavor with sweet & fruity flavors.

Tobacco critics are not alone in their protest against the tobacco companies. Government is getting into the act too. Several states have filed lawsuits against the tobacco industry and specific tobacco companies claiming the introduction of flavored tobacco products violates a 1998 legal settlement which bars the tobacco industry from marketing tobacco for kids. The tobacco industry vs. society. The war is not likely to end any time soon.