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 ...
Nope.
I mean, if they had ANY honesty, they would just ban smoking.
When do you remember honesty in government? Besides, smoking is already banned in most places as it is. I think you meant they would ban tobacco.
Of course, it pays taxes,...
Exactly. ...keeps life expectancy down, so that more can be spent on food stamps.
Sorry, but that makes no sense.
Technically there is no such thing as a bar in Virginia. Restaurants can have bars and if they have separate entrances and ventilation systems they can permit smoking.
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.
UM, I'm the grand daughter, daughter, and sister of retired NYC cops, and spent 10 years sharing office space (and answering the phones) with the Delaware State Troopers' Association - I do believe I learned about THAT way long ago.
Some folks just gotta lecture we the ignorant.
ALL tobacco and alcohol are EEEEEEVILLL, you understand!?!?!!
Hey nannies: get over yourselves already!
90+% of the menthol smokers voted for this, now they can wallow in their mess.
That said, if this doesn’t strike EVERYONE as a government over-reach, then I don’t know what will. Sadly, I’m sure I will see FReepers celebrating it and calling for a total tobacco ban....well, they can enjoy the mess that they make when the same tools are used against religion in the name of gay rights.
A ban on menthol is only a stepping stone to an outright tobacco ban. Many a FReeper will celebrate, until that lost tax revenue needs to be collected from them.
I wouldn’t take Elk’s comments personally or as a lecture. He is a freedom advocate on our side, so I am sure he was simply making a point about another “out of control” government plan....
And you could buy a GTO for 3 grand.
Thanks for the ping!
And that is a sad statement. I am sure you are aware of the myriads of DWI arrests and prosecutions involving people asleep in their cars, on bicycles, on riding mowers or horseback?
Yes I am, and in fact was involved in getting Delaware law changed so those using bicycles, mowers, or horses are no longer categorized as a driving offense subject to license loss. The sleeping in the car is still an iffy situation.
I haven't lived there for 10 years, but when I am there, it is VERY rare I consume any adult beverages outside my SIL or best friend's homes because one of those places is where I stay. And here at home, in Virginia, unless I am at home or camping out where ever the party is, I know when enough is enough. Then again, that is the way I was raised and have always been that way.
“Nobody who makes under 250k/year will see their taxes raised 1 cent. Unless you are a cigarette smoker. In which case I raised your taxes $5 per week. Sometimes lying is ok...like when you know they will vote for you anyway and you will blame someone else because you are not paying attention.”
-—Barack Fitzgerald Obama
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