Menthol Cigarettes Proposed Ban

FDA panel begins debating whether or not to ban menthol cigarettes.
The CBS Evening News (3/30, story 8, 1:50, Couric) reported, "It was a big deal last June when Congress gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco. Today, the agency took a hard look at menthol cigarettes, which are smoked by more than 18 million adults and a million kids under 18." Notably, "some antismoking groups believe tobacco companies are using menthol to get teens and minorities hooked."
The Washington Post (3/31, Layton) reports, "Federal officials began grappling Tuesday with one of the thorniest issues surrounding the regulation of tobacco: whether to ban menthol, the most popular cigarette flavoring." The Post adds, "A scientific advisory panel that will advise the Food and Drug Administration on regulating tobacco opened" the meeting by "reviewing hundreds of published studies on menthol cigarettes. The panel, largely made up of scientists, physicians and public health experts, has a year to make a recommendation to the FDA on menthol cigarettes, which are used by about 26 percent of smokers, and make up almost one-third of the $70 billion US cigarette market."