Be cool like the adults!
Because of course big tobacco would do that. They were often sold in packs looking just like real cigarette packs, except with the word "Candy" on it. Some appeared to be fictional brands, and others were sold under the branding of real cigarette companies.
A 1990 study found that sixth graders who ate candy cigarettes were twice as likely to smoke cigarettes as those who did not eat candy cigarettes.
And,
Some products contain powdered sugar hidden in the wrapper, allowing the user to blow into the cigarette and produce a cloud of sugar that imitates smoke, which comes out of the other end.
They are still available in the US and Canada, although with some restrictions.
I specifically remember in my childhood when an adult (I think my friend’s dad?) gave me a candy cigarette and pretended to “light” it for me using his Zippo.
So glad I never took it up.
As somebody who's known people who died of lung cancer (mostly in my parent's gen), I am glad you didn't take it up, too.
We used to light it as kids, it would taste like roasted marshmallows on the end.