Tobacco Committee Meets To Talk About Menthol

Continuing today, the advisory panel is holding its first meeting after being formed by the Food and Drug Administration.

March 31, 2010

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration??s (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee met for the first time to discuss menthol flavorings in cigarettes, the New York Time reports. The discussion continues today.

With menthol present in around a third of all U.S. cigarettes, many smoking opponents called for a total ban on menthol in last year??s tobacco law. Their point of contention was that the flavoring lures young smokers and targets black smokers.

But Congress bypassed the issue entirely, giving it to the FDA with a two-year deadline to draft new menthol rules, which is why menthol is the first issue on the advisory committee??s agenda, and why the panel??s one nonvoting seat was filled by a Lorillard Tobacco executive. Lorillard makes Newport cigarettes, a popular U.S. menthol brand.

The panel??s chairman, Dr. Jonathan Samet, declined to talk about a complete menthol ban, citing that their first order of business is to look at evidence before issuing recommendations. A report is due by 2011, with action required by 2012.

"We??ve spent a lot of time working on the dangers of smoking, but now we??re going to be taking a somewhat different approach," said Samet. "We??ll be trying to understand what it is in the products that harm people and what changes can be made."

For more on FDA tobacco regulations, see the April NACS Magazine cover story and visit the FDA Regulation of Tobacco issue page, where you can also access materials from the March 22 NACS FDA compliance webinar.

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