The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took a “momentous” step toward banning menthol in cigarettes and banning flavored cigars. (Liudmila Chernetska / iStockphoto / Getty Images)

The FDA has been officially exploring the possibility of a menthol ban for more than a decade. In July 2013, the FDA requested comments on preliminary research, data and evaluations with regard to the regulation of menthol.

Menthol cigarettes and other tobacco products are displayed at a store in San Francisco on May 17, 2018. (AP Photo / Jeff Chiu, File)
Menthol accounts for more than a third of cigarettes sold in the U.S, and the mint flavor is favored by Black smokers and young people. Menthol’s cooling effect has been shown to mask the throat harshness of smoking, making it easier to start and harder to quit.
(Diedra Laird, MCT Campus)

Candy-flavored e-cigarettes and other sweetened tobacco products threaten to create a new generation of addicted users, warns a new report by five prominent public health organizations.

The Chicago City Council passes a ban to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products. Carol Marin and her panel of aldermen weigh in on this issue, and get the latest from inside City Hall. View graphics on e-cigarette sales across the United States, and read an interview with a local doctor about the health risks and benefits.

Dr. Terry Mason

Need tips on how to stay healthy in 2012? Dr. Terry Mason, Chief Medical Officer for Cook County Health & Hospitals System, joins us with several health recommendations for Chicagoans. Got any questions for Dr. Mason? Ask them here. Please also join us for a live web chat during and after the segment.

Chicago City Council

Aldermen propose new taxes on cigar and pipe smokers, as well as higher fees for loading and valet zones. The goal: staving off cuts to libraries, the 911 center and mental health facilities. Elizabeth Brackett reports.