FDA Given Opportunity to ban Menthol

Handsel Art

20 March 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

contact J.R. Few

handselart@gmail.com

or 870-427-1365

Panel Releases Report on Menthol

On March 19 the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Panel (TPSAP) released a draft of its report on menthol in cigarettes. Advocates had feared that the narrow scientific restrictions of the investigation would find that the menthol in cigarettes was relatively benign. But the panel, while failing to actually make the recommendation that menthol in cigarettes be eliminated, found for the larger concept of menthol’s harm in cigarettes. The panel found that menthol’s cooling effect made addicting youth easier and quitting more difficult. Virtually all tobacco products contain some menthol.

The report states, “The availability of menthol cigarettes in the marketplace could adversely affect public health through two consequences: (1) increasing the risk for the diseases caused by smoking cigarettes; and (2) increasing the number of people who smoke.” It goes on to conclude, “Removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States.” Unfortunately, the TPSAP did not make any specific suggestions on how to limit the harm to the public health.

The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving limited authority over tobacco to the FDA, banned fruit and candy flavoring. But a political compromise charged the TPSAP to report on the public health impact of menthol in cigarettes. Many advocates opposed the compromise because 80% of African American smokers smoke menthol.

A statement released by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids applauded the report saying, “We urge the FDA to implement the committee's recommendation in a way that maximizes the public health benefits.” Tobacco Free Kids led several of the major public health groups in negotiations with tobacco giant Philip Morris to see successful passage of the Act.

American Legacy Foundation Distinguished Professor of Tobacco Control at UCSF, Dr. Stanton Glantz, noted that the most significant finding was that menthol, “has a complex pharmacological interaction with nicotine that affects the addictive potential of cigarettes.” He added that, “The question at this point is whether the FDA and the Obama Administration will have the backbone to ban menthol in all tobacco products (or, at least as a first step, all smoked tobacco products, which is more than just cigarettes) and whether the major health organizations will unambiguously press for such a ban.”

If the stock market is any prediction tobacco companies still have little to worry about. Lorrilard, maker of Newport, the leading menthol cigarette, saw its stock value rise 3.4% as drafts of the report were released.

###