fda and analog menthol / looks like fda is wanting to end flavors

[tzymroz2013]

FDA invites public input on menthol in cigarettes

i got Fda news release about menthol analogs. I wonder where they are heading with this?

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking additional information to help the agency make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes.

Despite decades of work to reduce tobacco use in the United States, it continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease. In the United States, about 30 percent of all adult smokers and more than 40 percent of all youth smokers report smoking menthol cigarettes.

“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 agency is issuing the ANPRM to obtain additional information related to potential regulatory options it might consider, such as establishing tobacco product standards, among others.

The ANPRM will be available for public comment for 60 days. The FDA will consider all comments, data, research, and other information submitted to the docket to determine what, if any, regulatory action with respect to menthol in cigarettes is appropriate. If the FDA decides to issue a rule, the first step in that process would be a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which would give the public an opportunity to weigh in on the specifics of the proposed rule.

“FDA’s actions today on menthol reflect our commitment to explore all potential options, including the establishment of product standards. In the meantime, we will conduct new research to further inform our decision making,” said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

The agency is also making available for public comment relevant scientific information, including the FDA’s independent Preliminary Scientific Evaluation of the Possible Public Health Effects of Menthol Versus Nonmenthol Cigarettes. The preliminary evaluation addresses the association between menthol cigarettes and various outcomes, including initiation, addiction, and cessation.

In addition, the FDA plans to support new research on the differences between menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes as they relate to menthol’s lik

[Tam]

Yeah, I saw this on my news feed this morning. Looks like the FDA has too much time on its hands and/or someone with deep pockets doesn't like menthol cigarettes. The only thing that concerns me is that, if the FDA makes it illegal to add menthol to analogs, how long before they start attacking the e-cig industry and all of the flavors we now enjoy? They've made some feints to date but haven't really hit it head on. Yet.

[Uma]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the Nightly News blurb the other day.

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52558842#52558842

Oh, and did you hear the one about how Ohio's big pharma payroll helpers (ALA, AHS, blablabla) have decided to oppose the bill selling eCigs to minors, because of the taxes they'd lose. lol. Sad but true.

E-cig bill called a ‘Trojan horse’ | The Columbus Dispatch

So, by declaring eCigs Menthol to be bad, they can overly tax the citizens again, and by declaring they don't want to ban them from kids, they will make even more money as one by one the kids try them to see what all the fuss is about.

Politics. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

[spydre]

Truthfully, when they went after flavors a few years ago, I was surprised that they exempted menthol - particularly since younger smokers tend to go for menthol "supposedly" because it's I dunno, sweetness masks the harshness of the tobacco. And Swisher Sweets were still on the market after that, too, weren't they? I guess at that time, they were convinced with the right place lobbying efforts (re: $$) that eliminating menthol would kill the industry...but I thought they were trying to do that anyway? Heck, out of the two people in my family (that is my growing up family, not my house now, so my dad and my sis), my sis smokes menthol, and when all five of us lived at home, it was split almost down the middle on menthol/non-menthol users - 3 non menthol (including me), and my mom and sis smoked menthols. Although when I was in high school, SUPPOSEDLY the stereotype was girls smoked menthols (not the ones I hung around with though, lol). So I guess maybe if it is around a 50/50 split, how many of the long time menthol users wouldn't be able to adjust to smoking non-menthol, or having to smoke with a peppermint in their mouth to get the feeling?