Akhir 1432 / 14 March 2011, SPA -- Use of menthol cigarettes is rising among teenagers and "very high" for minority youth, U.S. government advisers said in part of a draft report released on Monday, according to Reuters. More than 80 percent of black adolescent smokers and more than half of Hispanic adolescent smokers use menthol cigarettes, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said in a draft chapter for a report due next week. The FDA will use the report to help decide whether to ban or limit menthol-flavored cigarettes. The advisers are set to hold a public meeting on Thursday and Friday to discuss their findings. Makers of menthol cigarettes include Lorillard Inc, Reynolds American Inc's R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co and Altria Group Inc's Philip Morris. Lorillard shares were unchanged at $79.35, Reynolds shares fell 0.3 percent to $33.62 and Altria shares fell 0.1 percent to $25.02, all on the New York Stock Exchange.
