Pretty interesting to see at the time when Obama signs FDA regulation into law that PM puts it in the face of the anti’s by launching their new bold menthol blend NO. 54. I saw this as I visited many retail locations and then read this on a wire from the good old professor from Boston.

Prof. Michael Siegel of Boston University School of Public Health said June 24th that the anti-smoking groups that supported the bill giving the Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over tobacco products are “completely isolated from the real world of Big Tobacco politics” as evidenced by the American Cancer Society saying children will “no longer be seduced by flavored tobacco products” as a result of the FDA legislation, even as Philip Morris was announcing the introduction of a menthol cigarette brand called Marlboro Blend No. 54.

In an effort to get Congree to enact Philip Morris backed FDA tobacco legislation, CTFK, ALA, ACS and AHA have been trying to dupe the public and members of Congress into believing that:
- sales of flavored cigarettes (other than menthol) are enormous and have been sharply increasing,
- all flavored cigarettes except menthol are target marketed to youth (even though the market share among adults and teens for menthol cigarettes is far far greater than for all other flavored cigarettes combined), and
- all flavored cigarettes except menthol should be banned.

I may be missing something but can some one tell me where I can buy cigarettes being made by Reynolds that are flavored like mentioned. It seems to me that the ALA is just misleading it’s constituents. Oh and I guess if you challenge the ALA they probably just brand you as a pro tobacco supporter. But it just seems to me like here they go again just saying whatever the hell they want to say with no challenges. I see that Michael Siegel calls it purely political but isn’t this an old issue that just seems to be repeatly brought back by folks on a mis informed cause.
I mean what was/is the % of these types of flavors being sold. I just get tired of these rallying causes over something so insignificant!

Thus, it doesn’t appear that menthol cigarettes are any more addictive than nonmenthol brands.

Before even considering a ban on menthol cigarettes, US Congress should first ensure that the FDA legislation truthfully informs the public about the different health risks of different tobacco products (i.e. smokeless tobacco products are less hazardous alternatives for smokers than cigarettes), and provide incentives for tobacco manufacturers to develop/market smokefree tobacco products to smokers as less hazardous alternatives to cigarettes.