Report: Menthol-flavored cigarettes could be latest banned tobacco product

WASHINGTON — Menthol-flavored cigarettes are the latest target for tobacco opponents, according to published reports.

Reuters reported Friday that a committee of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said in a report that banning mentholated cigarettes would benefit public health. Under legislation adopted in 2009, most flavored cigarettes already are banned.

The Food and Drug Administration will consider banning or limiting menthol when it receives the report Wednesday, though analysts have said a ban on menthol cigarettes is unlikely, Reuters reported.