A number of major public-health organizations want a ban on menthol cigarettes included in legislation giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco products, but the American Medical Association (AMA) recently declined to throw its weight behind the proposal, the Associated Press reported June 17.

The FDA bill now before Congress would ban a number of cigarette flavorings, but not menthol -- an apparent concession to bill backer Philip Morris. Critics, however, note that menthol cigarettes are especially popular with black smokers.

"If we're banning things such as clove and peppermint, then we should ban menthol," said Louis Sullivan, one of seven former federal health secretaries who are actively opposing the menthol exemption. "If it doesn't happen, this bill will be discriminatory against African-Americans."

At its recent annual meeting, however, the AMA voted to refer the menthol question to its board, fearing that a campaign to remove the menthol exemption could derail the entire FDA bill. AMA President Ron Davis also said that, unlike other flavor additives, menthol isn't seen as attracting new smokers.

Groups like the American College of Chest Physicians and the African American Tobacco Prevention Network have been sharply critical of the menthol exemption, however.