FDA releases report on Menthol in Cigarettes- Public Comment Opportunity & Scientific Efforts

Posted at http://lgbthealthequity.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/fda-releases-report-on-menthol-in-cigarettes-public-comment-opportunity-scientific-efforts/ reposted at http://www.tobaccodeathray.blogspot.com,

Daniella Matthews-Trigg, Program Associate

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it is issuing a 60 day Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to seek additional information (comments, data, research, etc.) from the public to help the agency make informed decisions about what, if any, regulatory action to take in regards to menthol in cigarettes. (Remember how Brazil banned flavored cigarettes including menthol? The FDA will be setting up a govt to govt conversation with Brazil!)

“Menthol cigarettes raise critical public health questions,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “The FDA is committed to a science-based approach that addresses the public health issues raised by menthol cigarettes, and public input will help us make more informed decisions about how best to tackle this important issue moving forward.”

 

The FDA is also making available for public comment their preliminary independent scientific evaluation (whew!) of the health effects of menthol cigarettes looking at initiation, addiction, and cessation: Preliminary Scientific Evaluation of the Possible Public Health Effects of Menthol Versus Nonmenthol Cigarettes.

Additionally, the FDA is currently funding investigator initiated menthol-related studies looking at;

1. Whether genetic differences and taste perceptions could explain why certain racial and ethnic groups are more likely to use menthol tobacco products.

2. Compare exposure to carcinogens from menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes

3. Examining the effects on menthol and nonmenthol products on tobacco addiction

 

And, stay tuned for an upcoming, FDA-developed youth education campaign for roll-out at end of calendar year with an emphasis on menthol!
(Check out the FDA’s full press release HERE)

*Read more about the menthol debate on our blog:
MARY POPPINS COULD TEACH US HOW TO REFRAME THE MENTHOL DEBATE
BRAZIL LEADING THE WORLD IN TOBACCO CONTROL BY BANNING THE SALE OF FLAVORED CIGARETTES INCLUDING MENTHOL
And, from 2011…URGE THE FDA TO BAN MENTHOLATED CIGARETTES SIGN ON TODAY HTTP://BIT.LY/PROTECTYOUTHBANMENTHOL
Also, there is an article in the New York Times about this!

Mayor Emanuel Takes Bold Steps to Protect Chicago’s Kids from Menthol Cigarettes

Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

WASHINGTON, DC – The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauds Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his bold leadership in working to protect the city’s kids from the serious public health problems posed by menthol cigarettes.

Mayor Emanuel announced today that he has asked the Chicago Board of Health and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) to undertake a series of initiatives aimed at curtailing the use of menthol cigarettes by youth in Chicago. These agencies will host a series of town hall meetings to identify innovative, community-driven solutions to reduce menthol cigarette use among Chicago’s youth. In addition, CDPH will launch a tobacco prevention ad campaign in October that focuses on menthol cigarette use.

Mayor Emanuel’s initiative comes just days after a 153-page report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration underscored the serious public health problems posed by menthol cigarettes. The report reached three key conclusions, finding that menthol cigarettes lead to 1) increased smoking initiation among youth and young adults; 2) greater addiction; and 3) decreased success in quitting smoking. “These findings, combined with the evidence indicating that menthol’s cooling and anesthetic properties can reduce the harshness of cigarette smoke and the evidence indicating that menthol cigarettes are marketed as a smoother alternative to nonmenthol cigarettes, make it likely that menthol cigarettes pose a public health risk above that seen with nonmenthol cigarettes,” the FDA’s report concluded.

As Mayor Emanuel wrote to city health leaders, among African-American youth ages 12-17 who smoke, 72 percent use menthol cigarettes and among LGBT youth who smoke, 71 percent smoke menthol. In March 2011, an FDA scientific advisory committee found that menthol cigarettes have been disproportionately marketed to youth and African Americans.

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 Americans and costing the nation $96 billion in health care bills each year. Mayor Emanuel is providing the strong leadership we need to protect our children from tobacco addiction and win the fight against this deadly epidemic. CONTACT: Peter Hamm, 202-296-5469

Peter S. Hamm
Director, National Communications
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
202-296-5469
Phamm@tobaccofreekids.org