The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
“The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said that the proposed bans would “reduce the mortality risk of current smokers of menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars by substantially decreasing their consumption and increasing the likelihood of cessation.”
Menthol cigarettes have been marketed aggressively to Black Americans for decades. About 85% of Black smokers use menthol brands compared with 30% of white smokers, the FDA said, and research shows menthol cigarettes are harder to quit than traditional tobacco products.
See “FDA Proposes Ban on Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Cigars” by Dennis Thompson on the HealthDay website (April 28, 2022)
See the proposed rule “Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes” in the Federal Register (May 4, 2022)
