The FDA has proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes and cigars of any flavor to curb smoking deaths, but some civil rights activists say it could spawn an underground market that leads to criminal charges against people of color.
Packs of menthol cigarettes and other tobacco products are seen at a store in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
WASHINGTON (CN) The Biden administration on Thursday launched a plan to curb smoking by banning menthol-flavored cigarettes and all cigars that are flavored.
The Food and Drug Administration says its science-based approach aims to reduce disease and death related to the use of smokable tobacco products. The agency aims to have the ban in effect by next year, after the proposed change undergoes a public comment period.
FDA officials promised on Thursday that they will ban menthol cigarettes within the next year
It comes as a deadline set by a lawsuit alleged the agency had unreasonably delayed responding to a 2013 petition for it to ban the flavor
Menthol cigarettes have contributed to 378,000 premature deaths between 1980 and 2018, a University of Michigan study found
Biden administration officials say they want to ban menthols because they disproportionately harm the health of black Americans
Menthols are the preferred flavor for about 85% of Black Americans who smoke
But the ACLU is concerned a ban would increase policing and incarceration of black Americans
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reacts on ‘America’s Newsroom’ to President Biden failing to mention the packed border facilities during his address to Congress.
Despite filing hundreds of lawsuits against the Trump administration over its border policies, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has yet to file a single lawsuit against President Biden in his first 100 days amid the growing humanitarian crisis at the southern border.
This week, Biden hit his 100th day in office and gave a joint address to Congress.
In his speech, Biden did not outline any immediate steps his administration would take in order to mitigate the rapidly growing humanitarian crisis due to the influx of immigrants at the border.