Representatives of major U.S. tobacco companies that manufacture mentholated cigarettes spoke in favor of their products last week during a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel, which currently examining the effect of the menthol additive on the smokers’ ability to give up smoking or appeal to teenagers. Officials from the leading three tobacco giants: Philip Morris USA, Reynolds American and Lorillard have cited independent studies and medical literature to defend menthol cigarettes, stating that present equal harm as ordinary cigarettes and don’t lure people to take u ... Jump to full article >>

Smokers who are serious about kicking butts may be better off relying on old-fashioned willpower, instead of pricey, new-fangled patches, pills and gums. The vast majority of ex-smokers stop on their own and not with nicotine replacement therapies. A review of hundreds of studies on smoking cessation not only found that the majority of successful ex-smokers quit on their own, but that studies praising the virtues of patches, gums and pills are at least twice as likely to have been funded by drug companies, according to Australian researchers. Sydney University researchers analyzed more than 50 ... Jump to full article >>

U.S. health officials are seeking more information about the possible attraction and addiction of flavored, dissolvable tobacco products that regulators worry look too much like candy and can entice children. The products, made by Reynolds American Inc’s R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co and by Star Scientific Inc, contain powdered “smokeless” tobacco and are brightly colored, with flavors such as coffee and mint. Companies have argued that the products, which include dissolvable tablets, are aimed at adults who must deal with a growing number of smoking bans in public places as well ... Jump to full article >>

SMOKERS feel like they’re being picked on as employers move to ban workers nicking off for a quick cigarette. The federal Department of Health and Ageing this week introduced a ban on employees taking regular smoking breaks and more bosses are expected to follow suit. Your say: What do you think about the workplace smoke? Many disgruntled smokers, including a 35-year-old city administration worker who refused to be named, said the move was “discriminatory”. “Other people in the office stand around and have a chat whereas smokers go outside to have a cigarette,” sh ... Jump to full article >>

The more the government knows about what’s in cigarettes, besides tobacco, the better it can assess their potential harm. In a progressive move to gain more information about tobacco product formulas, the Food and Drug Administration is requiring tobacco companies to tell the agency exactly what goes into their products by June. Companies have long acknowledged using cocoa, coffee, menthol and other additives to make tobacco taste better. But the FDA also wants to determine what ingredients used might also make tobacco more harmful or addictive. Some tobacco companies, like Altria Group, ... Jump to full article >>

The efforts to increase sales of low-risk smokeless tobacco have prompted major enemies Philip Morris and Reynolds American on the same side of the fence – lobbying for their respective products. Though, experts don’t believe that the two largest tobacco companies will cooperate to achieve their aim – convincing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate smokeless products as a sort of the golden mean between conventional tobacco products and nicotine-replacement therapies, such as patches and sprays. However, industry analysts admit that having these tobacco giants eager to amend regu ... Jump to full article >>

RICHMOND, Va. — The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has warned several companies to stop selling banned flavored cigarettes to U.S. consumers online. The agency sent letters this week to more than a dozen Web-based companies saying they are violating a new ban and asking the companies to describe in writing what action they have taken to comply. The FDA banned candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes in September. Federal health authorities and regulators say those products appeal especially to young people and are thought to attract new smokers. “FDA takes the enf ... Jump to full article >>

They propose amendment to FDA tobacco bill to ban dissolvable smokeless products. Part of the debate focuses on whether the products are a less-harmful alternative to smoking. Two U.S. senators are aiming to snuff out dissolvable smokeless-tobacco products before they can get a toehold in the U.S. market. Their amendment to the proposed FDA regulation bill from Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., is stoking the debate regarding the viability and possible less-hazardous role of smokeless tobacco products. U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, have labeled as “tobacco candy&# ... Jump to full article >>

The reforming smoker in the Oval Office is waiting to put his presidential pen to a bill that would finally give the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco. All he needs is for the Senate to pass it. It’s crazy that the FDA can regulate smoking cessation devices but not tobacco products themselves. FDA regulation of tobacco won’t make cigarettes safe, but it will make smokers safer from labels like “light” and “low-tar,” which imply that these cigarettes are somehow less lethal. It will lead to larger health warnings on packaging and in a ... Jump to full article >>