Senator Richard Blumenthal expressing support for menthol recommendation..

Apil 20, 2011 - Hartford, CT) –Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)today expressing support for their continued work to protect public health through the “removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace.”

Blumenthal encouraged the FDA to continue work to follow up on recommendations from a report from the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) regarding menthol cigarettes.

“Such findings about the dangers of menthol tobacco products in general, and to our youth in particular, are highly concerning, and provide abundant grounds for FDA to develop a plan that will result in the removal of menthol from tobacco products to protect public health,” Blumenthal states in the letter. “It is well documented that the restriction of access to tobacco products directly impacts youth smoking rates and that FDA should take strong action to prevent tobacco companies from using menthol cigarettes to increase the number of youth who smoke.”

The TPSAC Committee found evidence that tobacco companies often include menthol flavors in their products both to entice certain demographics – such as young children and teens – to use tobacco, and to make it harder for them to quit.

Blumenthal has a long record of fighting to protect public health as Attorney General, and helped lead the legal fight against big tobacco culminating in an historic settlement in 1998 which included restrictions on direct tobacco advertising to children, resulting in a dramatic drop in youth smoking rates in Connecticut and around the country.

Menthol Cigarettes - alter the menthol concentration so cigarettes will not be so appealing to young smokers..)

Reference: blumenthal.senate.gov/4/18/2011 - Letter from Senator Blumenthal can be found at bottom of reference..