A study released two years ago by the
University of California, San Francisco found menthol cigarettes ay make it harder to
give up smoking than with non-menthol cigarettes. "Mentholation of
cigarettes does not seem to explain disparities in ischemic heart disease and
obstructive pulmonary disease between African-Americans and European Americans
in the United States, but may
partially explain lower rates of smoking cessation among
African-American smokers," the study concluded.
The study did not conclude that menthol
cigarettes were, on their own, more harmful than other cigarettes, but it did
suggest that the addictive nature of the menthol cigarettes ould
be a contributing factor in the disproportionate death rates for black and
white smokers. The reason that blacks are more likely to die from smoking
diseases is that they are much less likely to stop smoking, the researchers
explained.
More research still has to be done to confirm
the relationship between menthol to smoking and to determine the specific
connection it might have with the high rate of lung cancer in the African
American community. Depending on the proof that emerges from the research, the
government may then be authorized to ban menthol.
"What we don't have is the science that simply links both,"
Christensen said in her interview with The Daily Voice. "We need to
get the strongest language possible about the research. We need language that
is stronger than what we currently have on the bill with a definite time
line," she said.
After 10 years of pushing for the legislation, Christensen suggests this as a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "If we don't get this bill passed, there
wont be any regulation on menthol or anything else," she said.
Last month, seven
former federal health secretaries sent a letter to
Congress warning about the potential dangers of menthol cigarettes and
objecting to the special treatment of menthol in tobacco
legislation. But despite the involvement of public health officials, there
has been limited involvement from black organizations on the issue,
according to some observers. Christensen sees the need for more
work to push the bill through. "Research has to be paid for and
reported quickly," she said.
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