FDA Panel Mulls Fate of Menthol Cigarettes

March 30, 2010 -- Menthol cigarettes, long a target of antismoking
advocates, came under federal scrutiny as the FDA convened an advisory panel
today to investigate their potential health risks.
It was the inaugural meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory
Committee, whose 12 members include health care professionals and three
non-voting tobacco industry representatives.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which gave the FDA
the power to regulate tobacco products, was passed in June 2009. In September
2009,
the FDA banned nearly all flavored cigarettes - chocolate, clove, and
cherry, for example.
Menthols, which account for about a quarter of the cigarette market, were an
exception. That may change, depending on what the committee recommends in its
final report, which is due a year from now.
The committee will have their work cut out for them. Their recommendations
will derive in part from the evidence heard during the course of the two day
meeting. Much of that evidence - presented today by government scientists - was
inconclusive or contradictory.





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