Mint, vanilla, cinnamon, orange, lime... these may sound like stand-up selections for gum, candy, or cereal but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is putting its foot down to using the flavors in tobacco cigarettes.  The FDA has banned the flavor use in cigarettes as part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, effective September 22, 2009.

The efforts are part of a multi-pronged initiative to steer children and youth away from cigarettes.  FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg pointed to the statistic that 90% of adult smokers started as teenagers as support for the national ban.  And considering the stigma that is attached with cigarette-smoking, it is no wonder that the tobacco industry is trying to re-brand itself in new flavors for the changing consumer.

It is sadly only too often that it is only with perfect hindsight, in the aftermath of school violence, that the "warning signs" leading up to the disaster are discovered. One mother in Denver, Colorado, is upset with the actions, or rather, inaction, of her child's school in response to a "kill list" found in a classmate's journal.

According to the report, "[t]he journal contained several disturbing drawings of girls being hung by nooses and a list that included the names of eight people the girl's classmate wanted to kill. On the right side of the list were sketches of various weapons that the classmate would use to kill these people." After her child said she was one of the targets, her mother gave the list to police, who in turn, turned it over to the school. An ensuing "threat assessment" didn't find one, and the district simply indicated "they were aware of the incident and were providing the student and the guardian the support they need. They said in the absence of a 'viable' threat they could not remove the student or punish them for expressing themselves."