US tobacco bill puts focus on menthol cigarettes (nanny state alert)

http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSN1740041920090617 ^

[MNDude]

ATLANTA, June 17 (Reuters) - The future of menthol cigarettes, smoked by 12 million Americans and 75 percent of African American smokers, could be the next flashpoint in a decades-long campaign against smoking in the United States.

Last week, Congress passed a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law soon.

The bill outlawed flavorings like chocolate, cherry and cloves that can attract young people to start smoking -- but excluded menthol, by far the most popular flavoring accounting for around 27 percent of the cigarette market.

Under the bill, the FDA must study the medical effects and marketing of menthol and its impact on blacks, Hispanics and other groups and report within 18 months. In theory, the FDA could then move to ban menthol cigarettes but some anti-smoking activists are skeptical the agency will do so.

[The Pack Knight]

Under the bill, the FDA must study the medical effects and marketing of menthol and its impact on blacks, Hispanics and other groups and report within 18 months.

So, are they saying that if one particular type of cigarette is popular among minorities, they'll be more likely to ban it?! Now that's racist!

[Venturer]

Just outlaw cigarettes and make marijuana legal and make all the liberals happy. What’s the problem.?

[massgopguy]

Kids don’t smoke Cherry flavored cigars. Old Italian guys do.

[Clock King]

F’ em. Black market time.

[Gator113]

“..... smoked by 12 million Americans and 75 percent of African American smokers...”

LOL... I am about to fall on the floor here.

There you go fools, you put Obama in office and voted for these idiot libs... enjoy. LOL

Heck, I might start buying up tons of menthols just to use in buying their votes.

[Goldsborough]

In boot camp for the US Navy I picked up the smoking habit from a black friend from North Carolina. I wound up smoking Newports for years after I never saw him again.

The lone bright spot in my smoking years was that next to no one ever bummed a menthol smoke off of me.

[Travis T. OJustice]

Kids don’t smoke Cherry flavored cigars. Old Italian guys do.

No kidding! The old Italian guys at one of the piers where I fish almost 100% smoke the cherry flavored cigars. And yeah, all the black guys smoke Newport.

[devistate one four]

Ban tobacco now! That will give these whiners something to wring thier hands about.

[Wooly]

I would not be surprised if the Democrats (given the party’s real position on race) do not end up telling African Americans, Hispanics, Asian, and any other minority member that does not vote Democrat on a regular basis, that they should take up smoking.

[DJ MacWoW]

They aren’t going to ban smoking as it is too big a cash cow. However, people have quit smoking so they will now need another cash cow. Junk food? Soda? It’s coming.

[devistate one four]

I just gave up the cigs back in Jan. b4 urkel took office.

Just one less thing for my bug out bag.

[The Pack Knight]

Demolition Man is looking more and more prophetic, isn’t it?

[DJ MacWoW]

I hear ya. They’d tax air if they could get away with it.

[DJ MacWoW]

Oh yeah.

[mowowie]

I used to smoke Newports back in the late 80’s.
I stopped smoking them when i started hacking up blood in the mornings.