In USA may be prohibited cigarettes with menthol

August 19, 2013

FDA has declared about social discussion of idea to prohibit in USA sales of cigarettes with menthol. In the message of Agency is told that search of additional information are necessary to help taking reasonable decision. Discussion will last during two months.

At the beginning of July, introduction of ban on Menthol and other flavored cigarettes was approved by core committee of European Parliament. Session on the subject of European Parliament was planned for September 9th and there are all grounds that ban will be approved and flavored cigarettes will disappear from European market during three years.

Cigarettes with menthol prefer women and children. Menthol removes tobacco taste that is unpleasant for smokers-beginners and makes "inhalation" in smoking easier. These reasons were named more often during discussing the ban in EU.

As to USA, here discussion about use of menthol in cigarettes continues for many years now. In USA approximately 30 % of adult smokers and more than 40 % of all young smokers inform that they smoke cigarettes with menthol.

For 60 days of public hearings FDA will consider all remarks, data, researches and other information to determine which normative actions should be taken in regards of menthol in cigarettes.

Besides, FDA plans to support new researches about differences among menthol and non-menthol cigarettes. The goal is to find out how menthol influences human body of person that decided to quit smoking. It is also planned to estimate how menthol presence in cigarettes influences preferences and smoking intensity of people of different racial and ethnic groups. Finally, one more research should determine how menthol interacts with other substances in cigarette smoke and to estimate result from point of view of health harm.

Regardless the final decision that is expected autumn, FDA has already began elaboration next stage of educational youth campaign oriented to prevention and reduction of tobacco consumption, including cigarettes with menthol.