The FDA is stretching its new regulatory muscle over tobacco. An advisory panel will soon take a look at the safety of menthol flavorings added to cigarettes. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, approved in June 2009, gives the FDA the regulatory oversight to ban certain products, limit additives and revisit promises by Big Tobacco such as the word” light” or “low tar” to promote some cigarettes. Menthol is used to give menthol cigarettes the slightly minty taste.
About 1 million Americans, primarily African-American, smoke menthol cigarettes marketed under the brand names, Newport, Marlboro Menthol, American Spirits Menthol, Consulate and Camel Menthol.
This is just the first of two meetings over menthol additives in cigarettes. A summer follow-up will focus on industry research and documents. The FDA will likely launch health efforts to dispel the myth that menthol cigarettes are more healthy and medicinal than regular tobacco cigarettes in order to reduce the health disparities among different ethnic communities.
