Studies blast menthol cigarettes as FDA weighs ban

A trio of public health organizations called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban menthol cigarettes Thursday after several studies highlighted their disproportionate effect on minorities. 

According to the studies published in the American Journal of Public Health, a ban could prevent as much as 600,000 smoking-related premature deaths by 2050, a third of those from the African-American community. In addition, the studies suggest a majority of Americans (56 percent) support a ban, particularly African-Americans.

"The publication of these studies in the American Journal of Public Health make urgent the need for action to protect the health of Americans — including the health of our young minority citizens — from the adverse health consequences of tobacco, including menthol-flavored cigarettes," former Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan said in a statement.

Menthol cigarette makers R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard, which sell the Kool and Newport brands, have sued the FDA, charging that an advisory panel recommending a ban is biased. The agency gained the authority to regulate tobacco under a 2009 law and has already banned chocolate- and other flavored cigarettes that are attractive to children.

"Several key issues, such as a potential increase in cigarette smuggling and contraband if menthol cigarettes were eliminated from the market, need additional study," Reynolds chief scientist Jeffery Gentry said in a recent statement. "We continue to believe that any final decision by the Agency should be based on sound science, and we look forward to continuing to provide information and our perspectives on this issue to the Agency as it undertakes this process."

One of studies published Thursday also found people who smoked menthol cigarettes found it harder to quit.

"The consensus of responsible scientists now strongly confirms that menthol flavorings lure youth to start smoking and then make it harder for menthol smokers to quit," added Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. "We believe, as the majority of Americans do, and the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee has advised the FDA, menthol cigarettes pose a significant public health threat and they should be taken off the market."

The other groups joining in the call for a ban are Legacy and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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