The White House could soon end a long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes after pressure from special interest groups, and some say the ban could negatively impact minority communities.
Menthol cigarettes account for nearly a third of the industry’s market share in the United States, meaning they are very popular among smokers.
They have also long been especially popular among black smokers: 81 percent of them opt for menthol varieties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION).
The mint flavor added to these products often attracts young, first-time smokers, making them dangerous in the eyes of the White House, medical associations and civil rights groups.
But proponents of the ban argue it could hurt minorities and small businesses.
In 2022, the FDA announced that it was working to create new standards for tobacco products that would prohibit the use of menthol flavorings. Nearly two years later, the ban still has not been enacted, and special interest groups for and against the ban have been pressuring the White House to get the job done.
“The proposed ban, while well-intentioned, could have had far-reaching economic consequences for convenience stores by cutting 30 percent of sales and the livelihoods of more than 600,000 workers,” said the president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council, Javier Palomarez. Fox News.
The National Association of Convenience Stores told the outlet in a statement: “The proposed ban would have exactly the opposite results of what its proponents have advocated.”
“We hope the FDA reconsiders its policy in light of the evidence that these types of bans simply do not work.”
Following a 2022 FDA proposal that menthol cigarettes would be banned, special interest groups advocating for and against the ban have been fighting over the future of the proposed rules.
But health officials missed the August 2023 deadline to put in place the proposed menthol ban, and also missed subsequent deadlines, including one earlier this week, causing confusion about the future of menthol in the US. USA
Still, many advocates for the ban claim that banning flavored products will reduce their use and therefore save lives.
And banning menthol is not uncommon: the additive has currently been banned in Canada since 2017 and in the European Union since 2020.
It is also banned in California and Massachusetts, along with a multitude of local counties across the country.
Protesters marched on Black Lives Matter Plaza in January advocating for a ban on menthol.
“Menthol makes cigarettes more appealing and easier to smoke,” according to the CDC.
‘In addition, menthol enhances the addictive effects of nicotine in the brain. The amount of nicotine, the addictive drug found in tobacco products, in menthol cigarettes has increased in recent years.’
The White House had previously said a decision on the new tobacco rule would be finalized by March, but the administration missed that deadline earlier this week.
“It is deeply disappointing that the Biden Administration appears likely to miss another deadline to issue a final FDA rule eliminating menthol cigarettes,” Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids President Yolonda Richardson said before the deadline expired. .
“Research shows that eliminating menthol cigarettes will reduce the number of children who start smoking, increase the number of smokers who quit, and save up to 654,000 lives over 40 years, including 255,000 black lives,” he said in a statement.
Proponents of the ban have claimed that Biden’s delay on the issue has cost lives.
As a result, several anti-smoking groups sued the US government on Tuesday.
Two years after announcing intentions to ban menthol, the FDA and the White House have not set new standards for the use of the substance in tobacco products.
“Due to defendants’ inaction, tobacco companies have continued to use menthol cigarettes to target youth, women, and the Black community, all to the detriment of public health,” the groups wrote in their complaint.
The FDA has said that eliminating menthol could prevent between 320,000 and 650,000 smoking-related deaths in the US over 40 years.
The FDA and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.