More on the Flavored Cigarettes Ban

In our last post, we mentioned that congressional hearings were a good place to find further information about the regulation of menthol cigarettes. We should also mention that the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report on tobacco regulation in May of this year, and it provides some illuminating information about why menthol cigarettes are not included in the government's ban on flavored tobacco products. See "FDA Tobacco Regulation: The Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act of 2oo9" (May 28, 2009). One interesting quote from this report: "Menthol cigarettes are an important component of the U.S. cigarette industry, accounting for more than one-quarter of the approximately $70 billion domestic market. The exemption for menthol is widely viewed as an important compromise that was negotiated with Philip Morris in order to secure the company's support for the legislation."