Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Leading Maker Of Menthol Cigarettes Raises Possibility Of Legal Challenge If FDA Moves Forward With Ban
“We believe the evidence shows that menthol does not encourage people to smoke, make smoking harder to quit or increase the risks to health compared to cigarettes without menthol,” said a spokesman for Reynolds American Inc.
The possibility of a nationwide ban on menthol cigarettes puts the tobacco industry into an all-too-familiar spot: having to defend the minty smokes, which are popular among younger smokers and African-Americans. Menthol-flavored cigarettes account for nearly a third of the roughly 250 billion cigarettes sold annually in the U.S., and the industry has a long history of marketing them to blacks and in minority neighborhoods. More than a dozen municipalities have adopted bans on menthols but cigarette makers have so far avoided federal restrictions. (Maloney and McGinty, 11/15)
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