Posted on 07/24/2013 5:14:52 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Federal regulators are looking at menthol cigarettes for possible new regulations, arguing that the products raise "critical" health concerns.
The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that it was beginning the process of regulating the variety of flavored cigarettes by gathering comments from the public.
“Menthol cigarettes raise critical public health questions,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in a statement. “The FDA is committed to a science-based approach that addresses the public health issues raised by menthol cigarettes, and public input will help us make more informed decisions about how best to tackle this important issue moving forward.”
Among the scientific data that the FDA is releasing for the public to consider is an evaluation of the health effects of menthol versus regular cigarettes. That study found that the cigarettes could make it easier for people to begin smoking, which poses a greater risk.
“While there is little evidence to suggest that menthol cigarettes are more or less toxic or contribute to more disease risk to the user than nonmenthol cigarettes, adequate data suggest that menthol use is likely associated with increased smoking initiation by youth and young adults,” the report found. “Further, the data indicate that menthol in cigarettes is likely associated with greater addiction.”
The report concludes that the data “make it likely that menthol cigarettes pose a public health risk above that seen with nonmenthol cigarettes.”
Tuesday’s announcement reflects the FDA’s “commitment to explore all potential options,” said Mitch Zeller, head of the agency’s tobacco office.
Rep. Henry Waxman (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, cheered the announcement as “an important next step in addressing the use of menthol in cigarettes.”
“I am pleased that the FDA is now taking this long overdue measure,” he said in a statement. ”I urge its leadership to act swiftly to make a science-based decision on this critical public health concern.”
The FDA was given authority to regulate cigarettes by a 2009 law that ordered it to study the effect of menthol cigarettes.
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., and about a quarter of all cigarettes sold in the country are menthols.
The public will have 60 days to comment on the agency’s notice.
No study on KooL cigarettes but every black person I know that smokes, smokes Kool’s and so do their friends. I’m talking maybe twenty or so.. but now what with the price per pack I’m sure everyone that smokes looks for the cheapest.
Why do they bother with the public comments? The decision has already been made.
Wait -- what will Holder's people say?
Old wive's tales sure die hard. It's the same chemical used in peppermint candies for the cooling sensation. Depending on its particular isomeric structure, its melting point is just below 98.6 F. Oh, also slightly soluble in water. So crystallization in the lungs is bogus. In the food industry it is recognized by the FDA as GRAS - generally recognized as safe.
Highly doubtful. The menthol really covers up a lot of the tobacco taste. All of the tobacco companies are stretching their resources these days to use as much low-cost ingredients, including tobacco, as possible.
Thanks for the ping!
Most likely a spray encapsulation of the menthol that melts as the ember approaches it releasing the menthol for vaporization. Old technology. Could do the same in the filter - just squeeze the filter to burst the encapsulated beads to release menthol. Encapsulation compound would be a lipid, wax, or polysaccharide. There is nothing new under the sun.
ROTFLMAO!
Please consider refraining from posting ignorant comments on cigarette smoking related topics, other than the government approved PC comment that “smoking is bad for your health”.
It will potentially increase your overall credibility on other topics.
My favorite cigarette was relatively cheap, it was Marlboro Black & Red or Black & Green. I thought it had the most tobacco flavor of those I tried (I also rolled my own with Natural American Spirit Dark Blue, and they were slightly better than the NAS-DB IMO).
I also liked Marlboro Southern Cuts, but they were obviously laced with a topping to generate their powerful Vanilla scent.
Camel has a type called the ‘Crush’ that has a crushable menthol capsule in the filter. There may be other brands as well.
Queer politics trumped the public health science with homowoods support.
I love terminology like “preventable death.” Ultimately, no one’s death is preventable; every one gets his ticket punched eventually.
“Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., “
Complete and utter BS.
However there is this:
The Kool brand capitalized off this new culture of "coolness" in African American culture that evolved from the Davis' jazz movement. They drew upon the idea of "coolness" to define their brand, Kool. It was then associated with a very positive, glamorous self-image which embodied the idea of cool found in jazz. This attempt was evident in their first tagline: "To be cool you smoke Kool". Later, they further infused the idea of cool and glamorous with the line, "Smoking a Kool? Like riding a Rolls Royce". B&W used Kool to substantiate the idea of a cool lifestyle. Kool was freshness, cold, but more importantly, Kool was cool.
The tobacco companies have been using expanded/puffed tobacco and reconstituted/paper tobacco for 50+ years to reduce their costs. Also, they have been increasing the content of foreign tobaccos, which generally are cheaper than U.S. grown tobacco. To cover up these tastes, they use various flavor chemicals, e.g., vanillin, licorice, various sugars, etcs. They have been reducing the number of these chemicals for 20+ years in anticipation of future restrictions by the FTC. 29
I only smoked for a few months, and it was fun, except for the cough and constant sinus problems.
I use e-juice now. Good nicotine, doesn’t kill my sinuses and easier on me than caffeine for similar effect.
Elk, You are old and wise enough to know that it’s not personal it’s all about the money.
To protect their profits the US government exempted domestic cigarette manufacturers from the flavor ban. They still allow menthol. I used to love my Salem menthols when I was 18. Then I switched to regulars. Now I just use ecigs.
But The whole thing is so disgusting I stopped paying attention. I couldn’t take it anymore it was so hideous. Was like living with rats in a sewer.
http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/08/indonesia-to-seek-compensation-for-lost.html?m=1
Indonesia to Seek Compensation for Lost Sales Due to U.S. Clove Cigarettes Ban
According to an article in the Jakarta Globe, Indonesia will seek compensation from the United States for sales losses due to its ban on clove cigarettes, which was found to be a discriminatory trade practice without health justification by the World Trade Organization.
According to the article: “Indonesia will seek compensation from the United States for pulling its clove cigarettes from shelves despite a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that deemed the ban discriminatory. Indonesia’s trade ministry said it had lost between $200 million and $300 million annually from the 2009 ban, aimed at helping prevent youths from taking up smoking. The WTO found that the US had flouted trade rules in its health act — under which cinnamon, coffee, grape and strawberry-flavored cigarettes were also banned — because it allowed menthol-laced tobacco to stay on the market. The WTO found in favor of Indonesia’s claims that allowing domestically made menthol cigarettes and not its clove-laced cigarettes was discriminatory. ...
“It’s baffling how the US, which is always demanding other countries to abide by WTO disciplines and regulations, is now unable to correct its policy, which is clearly in violation of WTO provisions,” Pambagyo [trade ministry director general of international trade cooperation] said in a statement.”
The Rest of the Story
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act’s ban on the sale of clove cigarettes is clearly a discriminatory trade practice, as it treats one flavoring - which is primarily manufactured outside the U.S. - differently than a like product (menthol cigarettes) that is domestically produced. Moreover, the reason for the exemption given to menthol cigarettes was specifically to protect domestic cigarette companies that sell menthol cigarettes. And the icing on the cake is that the flavorings ban advances no public health purpose because it exempts specifically those cigarettes which are actually smoked by youth, and the ban doesn’t apply to any cigarette brand that had any substantial market share among youth smokers prior to the implementation of the policy.
Given that the U.S. has failed to respond definitively to the WTO’s decision, it certainly seems to this observer that Indonesia is entitled to some compensation.
But I guess $200 to $300 million is a small price to pay to protect the annual sale of 62 billion menthol cigarettes in the U.S.
While it is understandable why politicians wanted to protect this domestic revenue, it is not clear why the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association lobbied so vigorously to protect the cigarette companies’ domestic revenue, at the expense of a higher burden of disease and death among their so-called constituents.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.