Lorillard Tobacco Company Comments on Harvard School of Public Hea...( GREENSBORO N.C. July 16 /- While ...),Health

GREENSBORO, N.C., July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- While Lorillard Tobacco Company (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lorillard, Inc. (NYSE: LO)) has not yet had the opportunity to fully review the latest report from the Harvard School of Public Health, the company is gratified that the report reaffirms its view with respect to the present state of the science examining menthol use in cigarettes, including that:

-- "The available [scientific] evidence remains inconclusive" that menthol cigarettes confer a higher risk than non-mentholated cigarettes for smoking-related diseases.

-- "Recent studies did not find significant differences in risk for disease between menthol and non-menthol smokers."

-- "Research on differences in cessation outcomes between menthol and non-menthol smokers had conflicting results."

However the report's conclusion that Lorillard controls or alters the menthol levels in its products to promote smoking initiation or addiction is categorically false.

Lorillard does not control levels of menthol to promote smoking among adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, Lorillard does not engineer any of its cigarettes to promote smoking initiation or nicotine addiction. Importantly, the target menthol specifications for Newport have not changed at all since 2000.

Lorillard is in the business of manufacturing cigarettes for sale to adult smokers. The company wants every adult smoker who prefers menthol cigarettes to choose its Newport product. This is why Lorillard strives to make a product with superior taste and consistency.

The company also rejects the report's conclusion that Lorillard targets youth smokers. The authors should know that pursuant to an agreement with the state's Attorneys G
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