Regulating Tobacco - New York Times

Re “Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency” (front page, May 13):

Contrary to the impression left by your article, pending federal legislation to regulate tobacco products does not exempt menthol cigarettes from regulation. The legislation grants the Food and Drug Administration authority to reduce or ban menthol in cigarettes if the agency determines, based on the science, that such action would protect public health.

This approach allows the F.D.A. to follow the science in addressing the serious problems posed by menthol cigarettes and to consider the possible unintended consequences before banning a product to which more than 10 million American smokers are addicted.

This treatment of menthol was not a result of negotiation between our organization (or any other public health organization) and any tobacco company. The current bill treats menthol in the same way as previous bills supported by the public health community dating back to 2000, long before any tobacco company supported the legislation.

Tobacco use is the nation’s leading cause of preventable death. This legislation would for the first time grant a qualified, science-based agency the authority to regulate these deadly products. This authority extends to menthol cigarettes.

Matthew L. Myers
President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Washington, May 16, 2008

Regulating Tobacco - New York Times

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