The war on smokers is hurtling toward one of its logical conclusions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced a plan to ban menthol cigarettes. But, the move raises a variety of public policy questions. For example, with menthol cigarettes accounting for only around one-third of U.S. cigarette sales, why is the FDA banning menthol products while leaving most of the rest of the cigarette market untouched? And what consequences could follow such a prohibition of menthol products?
The FDA makes three claims as to why menthol is uniquely dangerous. First, FDA contends menthols are especially attractive to kids. Second,
