The two justifications for the FDA’s proposed product standard prohibiting menthol cigarettes and cigars are (1) it will reduce youth initiation, and (2) it will help menthol smokers to quit. Now Sarah Mills and colleagues have published a review and meta-analysis of the effects of menthol bans around the world, The Impact of Menthol CigaretteContinue reading “Banning menthol leads a quarter of menthol smokers to quit”
Category Archives: menthol
WHO issues important call to action on ecigs
The World Health Organization has released a call to action and supporting technical note that provides detailed guidance for countries on how to battle the e-cigarette epidemic. The WHO both supports countries who have prohibited the import and sale of e-cigarettes and provides detailed evidence-based guidance for those who allow sale of e-cigarettes. The Biden WhiteContinue reading “WHO issues important call to action on ecigs”
Biden follows Obama and Trump by caving to industry pressure to delay menthol ban
Last week the Biden White House announced it was delaying a decision on the FDA’s well-reasoned product standards that would end the use of menthol in cigarettes and cigars, sparking outrage from leaders in the African American community: The White House is ignoring the real human cost of delay. Based on the Biden FDA’s analysis, everyContinue reading “Biden follows Obama and Trump by caving to industry pressure to delay menthol ban”
Synthetic cooling agents make e-cigarettes more attractive and easier to inhale
Sales of “ice” e-cigarettes have been increasing rapidly, with US sales growing by more than 10 times from 2017 to 2021. In 2023 57.9% of US youth used ice e-cigarettes, often combined with other flavors (such as strawberry ice, frosted mint or tobacco ice). Ice e-cigarettes are being marketed around the world. The cooling effectContinue reading “Synthetic cooling agents make e-cigarettes more attractive and easier to inhale”
New national data shows kids using “ice” tobacco products; FDA needs to include them in pending menthol product standards
Last week the CDC and FDA published the 2023 statistics on youth tobacco use from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (FDA press release). The good news is that high school student overall tobacco use is down significantly compared to 2022 (from 16.5% to 12.6%), driven in large part by a drop in e-cigarette use (fromContinue reading “New national data shows kids using “ice” tobacco products; FDA needs to include them in pending menthol product standards”
CTP should finalize the rules prohibiting menthol in cigarettes and prohibiting characterizing flavors in cigars, including menthol analogs
The fact that menthol is the most important additive in tobacco products is clear from the fact that the tobacco companies made exempting menthol from the ban on characterizing flavors in the original 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act as well as the companies ongoing (unsuccessful) efforts to fight local and state prohibitionsContinue reading “CTP should finalize the rules prohibiting menthol in cigarettes and prohibiting characterizing flavors in cigars, including menthol analogs”
UC publishes oral history of Stanton Glantz: Putting Cardiovascular, Epidemiological, Economic, Political, and Policy Research into Action at UC San Francisco and Beyond
Today the Oral History Center at the University of California Bancroft Library published an oral history of my career, which is freely available to all. Beginning in elementary school in Cleveland, Ohio, the history follows me through college and gradual school. It discusses my work to develop the emergency protocols for the Apollo 5 missionContinue reading “UC publishes oral history of Stanton Glantz: Putting Cardiovascular, Epidemiological, Economic, Political, and Policy Research into Action at UC San Francisco and Beyond”
FDA denies myblu menthol e-cig
FDA has denied a marketing order for Fontem’s myblu menthol e-cigarette. This is FDA’s second denial of a marketing order for a menthol e-cigarette, following its denial of RJR’s Vuse Solo menthol and other menthol e-cigarettes. With this decision, FDA continues to move away from its previous permissive policy toward menthol e-cigarettes, which appears toContinue reading “FDA denies myblu menthol e-cig”
California AG determines that “non-menthol” cigs are flavored and so illegal to sell in California
On April 25, 2023, the California Attorney General’s office wrote RJ Reynolds and ITG brands notifying them that several of their brands currently being sold in California are flavored and violate the California prohibition on the sale of flavored tobacco products: This is because the California law established a rebuttable presumption that a tobacco productContinue reading “California AG determines that “non-menthol” cigs are flavored and so illegal to sell in California”
FDA has what it needs to prohibit “non-menthol” cigarettes
On April 19, 2023, Politico published “RJR uses California as test market for skirting upcoming national menthol cigarette ban” describing how RJR has been promoting its “non-menthol” cigarettes as a way to get around California’s prohibition on the sale of all tobacco products. According to the article California AG Rob Bonta is “investigating” what hisContinue reading “FDA has what it needs to prohibit “non-menthol” cigarettes”
Stanton Glantz blog 