Black Legislators Seek to Restrict Menthol Cigarettes

Congressional black legislators are lobbying for restrictions to be placed on menthol cigarettes, which are heavily smoked by African-Americans. Menthol cigarettes are ignored in a recent bill which bans fruit-, candy- and spice-flavored cigarettes. Black smokers heavily use menthol brands, which can lead to cancers and related health risks.

Black legislators are concerned about the high levels of lung cancer in the black community. They believe menthol has a huge role to play in this. Therefore, the African-American legislators are lobbying to get the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban menthol.

Counter Lobbying by a Cigarette Firm
To counter this development, Lorillard, a prominent maker of menthol cigarettes sent e-mail messages to those who smoke Newport, its popular menthol brand. The message exhorts menthol smokers to talk to their congressional representatives and voice their opposition to any law that bans menthol cigarettes.

Facts About Menthol Cigarettes
The tobacco industry has been heavily marketing menthol cigarettes to the black community for decades. Menthol gives a pleasing flavor to cigarettes, thereby easily hooking new smokers. Menthol brands have bagged a 28 percent share of the $70 billion U.S. cigarette pie. About 75 percent of black smokers favor menthol cigarettes, compared to only 25 percent of white users. Health officials are thus concerned that menthol cigarettes can increase addiction and cancer rates in the African-American community.

Menthol brands contain More Nicotine
There is evidence that menthol brands such as Newport contain a higher amount of nicotine. This could make them more addictive.

Unclear Ramifications of a Menthol Ban
It is difficult to predict the results if menthol is banned, since many smokers favor this type of cigarettes. Menthol smokers could turn to the black market to get their daily fix. Health experts say that if menthol is banned the impact would be unclear, since it would prohibit a large portion of the cigarette market.