Posted on 09/12/2013 3:28:57 PM PDT by oxcart
Stopa ban on menthol cigarettesin the name of the law!
A number of current and former top-ranking law enforcement officials from the tobacco-producing South have blasted a potential menthol cigarette ban as the Food and Drug Administration weighs restrictions on those products, contending that prohibition will spur smuggling, counterfeit cigs and other organized crime.
Their comments to the FDA mirror arguments being made by Big Tobacco companies that have cited the specter of a menthol black market.
But tobacco critics and a former top New York state tax official scoffed at those claims, and accused tobacco companies of scare tactics that divert attention from the health damage caused by menthol cigs.
The FDA on Tuesday granted a 60-day extension to the time for public comments on possible menthol regulations. That extension until Nov. 22 came after requests from Big Tobacco companies, including Lorillardwhose Newport menthol brand accounted for 88 percent of the company's sales last year, and which is the second-biggest selling U.S. cigarette.
The FDA's move toward potential regulations comes after a recent agency study found that menthol cigarettes may "pose a public health risk above that seen with non-menthol cigarettes." The cigarettes, whose flavoring reduces the harshness of smoke, appear to be more addictive than unflavored cigarettes, the study indicated. Menthol cigarettes also are particularly popular with young smokers and African-Americans.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
The unofficial economy gets another boost.
Mission Accomplished.
In 1966 I was in first grade at Walnut Avenue Elementary.
Pack. Supply and demand.
When robberies happen at convenience stores, they don't even bother with the cash drawer, they go for the cigarettes.
At least we could sit in a bar, smoke and drink during the formation of this nation and the last depression.
Not any more.
E-3; L/cpl in 68 equaled 92 dollars a month. I thought I was rich.
Not any more.
You still can where I live.
OK. Point taken. My father was 2nd Division in WWII. I grew up going to annual reunions all over the country as a kid.
Some people here assume I was in the Marines and think it’s a reference to the 2ndMarDiv. My dad was a career Marine so I didn’t want to see the same places all over again. Plus, promotion is quicker in the Army.
Nanny State PING!
I spent time in Korea and dispute your claim about Newports. And as a side note, there wasn't a soldier I ever met who would have paid $20 for a pack of cigs, let alone who could have afforded it..........or hashish or marijuana for that matter.
http://www.navycs.com/charts/1967-military-pay-chart.html
(pay raise end of June 68)
Jan 68 E-1 $88/Month
Mar 68 E-2 $106/Month
?Jul 68 E-3 $113/Month
?Oct 68 E-3 $137/Month
?May 69 E-4 $190/Month
Plus $7 Overseas Pay and $66 Combat Pay.
Wheeee! I’m RICH!
When did you serve there?
That’s funny, I had always assumed Second Infantry Division. Of course, I was raised on ‘Second to None’ and indian heads. :=) Reunion headquarters were always in room 2-2-0. As kids, it was easier to remember that room number than whatever one we were staying in.
Is there ANYTHING that the government won’t get involved with? I mean, if they had ANY honesty, they would just ban smoking. Of course, it pays taxes, and additionally, keeps life expectancy down, so that more can be spent on food stamps.
Um-kay.
Just a word to the wise. If you're actually drinking in a bar these days, be sure that you have no access to any car keys.
TDY, 1971
I was holed up in Thule AFB, Greenland, in 1966.
I was there in 1978-79 and 1981-82. G-2, I Corps at Camp Red Cloud the first time, 102nd MI Bn., 2nd Infantry Division at Camps Hovey and Casey the second time.
Ouch.
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