Regulate menthol
Editors Note: Obviously the extensive information base developed at the national level regarding the impact that a menthol ban has on contraband has not filtered down to the local governmental level.
Oakland Tribune
LAST MONTH, the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee released its report on menthol in cigarettes.
TPSAC reviewed scientific evidence and found
that menthol cigarettes increases experimentation and regular smoking, decreases smoking cessation success in African Americans, and there is a causal relationship between the availability of menthol cigarettes and regular smoking among youth.
TPSAC’s overall recommendation is that “Removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States.” Despite these recommendations, the report calls for more study rather than action.
After the report’s release, stock prices rose for the most popular menthol cigarettes — Kool, Newport and Salem. This puts billions of dollars more in profit for the tobacco companies while new youth become addicted to tobacco and existing menthol smokers are still addicted to a product that is even more difficult to quit than regular cigarettes.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors and Oakland City Council have both declared resolutions asking the FDA to regulate menthol in cigarettes to protect the health of residents
and reduce youth smoking. The full report is at www.fda.gov.
Paul Cummings and Angie Orante
Tobacco Control Program Alameda County Public Health Department Oakland
