FDA Weighs Restrictions, Possible Ban On Menthol Cigarettes
STEIN: And the cigarette companies aren't the only ones who oppose banning menthol. The National Black Chamber of Commerce and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement executives also oppose banning menthol. One worry is that a ban would create an underground market for menthols.
Lyle Beckwith is a senior vice president for the National Association of Convenience Stores.
LYLE BECKWITH: There are individuals ranging from manufacturers in China to international smugglers, to street gangs that are just licking their chops hoping that menthol gets banned so they can just jump into that marketplace.
STEIN: And, Beckwith says, that could end up making it easier for kids to get cigarettes, as well as have other unintended consequences.
BECKWITH: That black market doesn't check ID and that black market doesn't just limit itself to menthol cigarettes. There's no stopping them from selling counterfeit regular cigarettes and other illegal products - illegal drugs.
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/01/258671720/fda-weighs-restrictions-possible-ban-on-menthol-cigarettes
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