According to a story in the New York Times, a federal advisory board will meet to discuss a health issue that Congress put off last year by allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco.

At issue is menthol flavoring in cigarettes. The additive masks cigarettes’ harsh taste, the FDA board says, and in the story calls it a “lure” for younger smokers and also says menthol cigarettes are marketed to black smokers, the group with the highest rates of diseases related to smoking.

The tobacco industry denies targeting young smokers and it argues that menthol is one of a variety of flavor differences.

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