AWMA sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) urging that agency not to consider banning menthol cigarettes.  In the letter to the CTP, AWMA notes that any action to ban this product would likely result in a significantly expanded contraband market.

AWMA sent the letter in response to an upcoming meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee to consider the issue of whether or not to ban menthol cigarettes.  AWMA makes clear our opposition to any ban on menthol cigarettes, noting that we are “deeply concerned about the very real possibility that banning menthol will only create a large contraband market” and makes no sense “in the face of solid scientific studies showing that menthol cigarettes have no different health effects than non-menthol cigarettes.”

AWMA urges our members to make their views known to members of the FDA’s Tobacco Scientific Advisory Committee by visiting our Web site at www.awmanet.org and clicking on the government affairs button to be taken directly to a pre-written letter you can send to committee members under the tab heading “Agency Alerts.