| Phillips-Murphy Computing Engineers 890 W End Ave Apt 2a New York, NY 10025-3520 Update Subscription Preferences The FDA's action was in response to a lawsuit filed by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council and the Action on Smoking and Health. The groups sued because the agency had not answered a citizen petition sent to it in 2013 urging it to ban menthol as a flavor in cigarettes. Thursday's announcement is just the first step in a long regulatory process to transition the market away from menthol products. It is expected that menthol cigarettes will be available for at least two more years. Advocates of the ban say that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it provides time for more smoking cessation programs to develop plans targeting menthol smokers. Menthol is used in tobacco products to create a cooling sensation in the throat, making it easier to inhale the smoke and nicotine. The vast majority of Black smokers ? 85 percent ? use menthol cigarettes. They are more likely than white Americans to be diagnosed with lung cancer at more advanced stages, when the disease is more difficult to treat. Black men have the highest lung cancer death rate in the country. Harold Wimmer, president of the American Lung Association, said Thursday's announcement was "game-changing." |
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