Attorneys General of New York, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island recently sent a joint letter to the FDA to ask the agency to ban flavored tobacco products, saying the use of flavors and menthol in tobacco impedes them from reaching public health goals related to smoking.
“Based on the substantial evidence supporting the conclusion that flavors in tobacco products damage the public health and the scant evidence of any benefit derived from them, we urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of flavors, including menthol, in all tobacco products,” the letter reads.
The letter also cites that “flavors in tobacco products, including menthol” impeded the states from attaining their public health goals because “flavors have an outsized attraction towards youth, have a disparate impact on minority populations, and, when present in e-cigarettes, have only a speculative positive effect on the rate of adult cigarette use.”
Earlier this month the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) filed comments on FDA proposals that would limit the nicotine level in cigarettes and flavorings in tobacco products.
“A tobacco product standard on nicotine levels and flavorings risks expanding the illicit trade of tobacco in the United States,” NACS wrote in its comments, adding that the federal government should enforce the tobacco regulations that currently exist and reduce the large problem of the illicit trade in cigarettes.
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