Lorillard - new web site ""Understanding Menthol"..

June 30, 2010 - Lorillard Tobacco Company today launched a new website, "Understanding Menthol," that focuses on the scientific evidence surrounding the public health impact of menthol in cigarettes. The new website is located at www.understandingmenthol.com.

Legislation signed into law last year authorized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products. One provision of the law mandated the creation of a new Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, which will submit a report and recommendation on the use of menthol in cigarettes to the FDA.

"In analyzing menthol in cigarettes, the FDA and its advisory committee have the responsibility of assessing sound, legitimate and objective scientific data," said William R. True, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and development for Lorillard Tobacco Company, who hosts the site. "This website describes the clear and compelling scientific evidence regarding menthol, one of the most widely studied ingredients in cigarettes.

"The scientific evidence does not show that menthol in cigarettes is harmful and Lorillard believes Americans have a right to make a personal choice to use any legal product," Dr. True said. "Menthol neither causes people to smoke, nor deters them from quitting. A menthol cigarette is just another cigarette – and should be treated no differently. The best available scientific evidence demonstrates that menthol cigarettes have the same health effects as nonmenthol cigarettes."

Reference: Lorillard Launches 'Understanding Menthol.com' Website, PR Newswire, 6/28/2010.