Tobacco Facts.

According to the U.S. largest tobacco company Philip Morris USA and its owner Altria, the collected evidence support a prohibition orrestrictions on menthol flavored cigarettes. “The peer-reviewed evidence suggests that menthol does not impact on the essential health risk associated with smoking,” declared Jane Lewis, Altria Client Services senior vice president for tobacco regulation. Altria Client Services deals with support functions for Altria Group and the companies it owns, among which is cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA that makes menthol-flavored cigarettes among others.

Lewis participated in the latest meeting of Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC), which is examining the issues related to menthol cigarettes brands use and is entitled to provide recommendations to the FDA over possible ban of menthol flavoring.
The 12-member advisory panel is expected to reveal a report over the effect of mentholated cigarettes on the public health by March 23. The committee might recommend prohibiting menthol flavoring, however the Food and Drug Administration is not obliged to follow the recommendations.

A draft report of the committee’s conclusions revealed last week stated they don’t have sufficient evidence to suggest that menthol cigarettes represent higher health risks than unflavored counterparts. Nevertheless, the report stressed menthol flavoring could make it easier for the adolescents to become smokers and could increase the likeability of addiction.

Lewis said that the influence of menthol flavoring on smoking is a “complicated issue” which should be examined more thoroughly.
According to the total evidence, the menthol flavoring doesn’t contribute to the increase of smoking dependence, said Lewis. And a ban on that flavoring might have unwanted consequence of establishing black market of menthol-flavored cigarettes.
David T. Levy, University of Baltimore economics professor, declared that his study shows that a ban on menthol cigarettes would help cut smoking rates and contribute to saving more than 400,000 lives by 2050. He added that that his study was funded by American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking advocacy organization.

Menthol cigarettes comprise around 30 percent of the domestic cigarette market, and nearly 80 percent of African-American smokers prefer menthol-flavored cigarettes, the Federal Trade Commission research indicates. Niger Innis, spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality, as well stated that ban on menthol cigarettes would encourage illegal trade, and the government should rather focus on education young people about the health risks of smoking. Two of the nation’s largest cigarette makers last Friday filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the FDA from relying on recommendations made by the scientific advisory committee.

Last week RJ Reynolds Tobacco and Lorillard Inc have filed a lawsuit to the U.S. District Court in Washington, stating that certain members of the advisory panel have conflict of interest and bias, since they carried out researches funded by pharmaceutical companies that market nicotine-replacement therapies, and they served as paid experts in courts in smokers’ litigations against tobacco companies.

Altria Group does not participate in this lawsuit; however, the company has sent several letters to the FDA questioning the neutrality of several members of the committee based on the conflicts of interest and bias.