Mentha haplocalyx has both medical and edible functions. Its main edible parts are stems and leaves. It can also be used for juicing. In food, mint can be used as seasoning, spice, wine and tea.
Mint is also widely used in cigarettes and e-cigarettes, many people like its cool taste. But recently in the United States, peppermint has caused a lot of trouble. It is thought to make it more difficult to quit and attract teenagers to smoke.
The American Dental Association (ADA), campaign for tobacco free kids and several other organizations have formed a coalition to urge the food and drug administration to ban Mint cigarettes and other non tobacco flavored products such as sherga and e-cigarettes.
At the same time, FDA is required to approve the 2013 citizen petition and issue a proposal as soon as possible to prohibit menthol as the characteristic flavor in cigarettes. In its letter to the FDA, the alliance said: the public health and medical communities have long been calling on the FDA to use the authorization of the family smoking prevention and tobacco control act to publish product standards, so as to end the production and sale of flavored tobacco products. There is no doubt that flavoring products are particularly attractive to young people, leading to more tobacco consumption. Menthol in cigarettes leads young people to smoke more, makes it more difficult to quit smoking, and has a disproportionate adverse effect on the health of black Americans.
The letter also cites a 2015 study by the FDA and the National Institutes of health showing that flavored tobacco products “may lead to lifelong use of tobacco.”. If FDA insists on the long-term commitment of “completely based on scientific decision-making”, it must ratify the petition of citizens and initiate a regulatory procedure to prohibit menthol as the characteristic flavor of cigarettes. In addition, in order to prevent the industry from selling peppermint cigarettes disguised as cigars, the menthol rule of FDA should also apply to menthol in cigars.
Menthol cigarette is the main obstacle to quit smoking
A month ago, North Carolina attorney general Josh Stein and a bipartisan coalition of 23 lawyers also wrote to the FDA, pointing out that the mint ban could save thousands of lives. The alliance believes that menthol has always been a major obstacle to smoking cessation, and emphasizes the FDA’s own data on product addiction, pointing out that menthol masks the irritation of tobacco, making it easier for non-smokers to start smoking.
The mint ban has become a social justice issue
Cristine delnevo, director of the center for tobacco research at Rutgers University, and Professor Ollie Ganz, a public health researcher and lecturer at the Department of health behavior, society and policy, supported the calls, noting in a recent paper that banning Mint cigarettes should be seen as a social justice issue.
“The ban is crucial to the protection of young people, especially African Americans, and it will be particularly beneficial to vulnerable groups,” Ganz said
The policy of the United States is often used for reference by other countries. The “Mint ban” of the United States will affect more countries and regions. There are many mint flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products in China. Do you think China will implement the “Mint ban” in the future?
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