FDA

"This is the most important health issue of our time," Carol McGruder, co-chair of the council, said during a news conference on Thursday. "Menthol covers up the harsh taste of tobacco, giving the cigarette a pleasant taste." Because of its taste, menthol is known as a starter ingredient that enhances the popularity of cigarettes, especially among young and beginner smokers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 19.4 percent of the black population smoke, and 82.6 percent of them smoke menthol cigarettes.

Medical professionals and women’s advocates first recommended that EC go over-the-counter in 2003, and what followed was a decade of politically-motivated delays and blocks that kept EC behind the counter and out of reach for many women. Until now, people under 17 who needed EC had to get a prescription first, and those 17 and older had to go to the pharmacy counter during business hours and show government-issued photo ID. 

From New America Media: This week, politics interfered with health care when young women were again denied the ability to obtain over-the-counter emergency contraception (EC) despite recommendations from the nation's leading health experts.