Biden unlikely to ban menthol cigarettes, despite urging from health officials

A federal ban on menthol cigarettes would be one of the most effective ways to save lives, Black Americans, the Surgeon General said. But the Biden administration isn't likely to do anything about it.

The U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday that a federal ban on menthol cigarettes would be one of the most effective ways to slash tobacco-related illnesses and deaths among Black people — even as the clock winds down on the Biden administration’s ability to do anything about it.

The long-standing promise of a ban on menthol cigarettes, which has been years in the making, is unlikely to move forward before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. The ban had been expected by the end of this year.

It’s possible that the Food and Drug Administration may push through its proposal to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes by capping the levels of nicotine. But menthol cigarettes are likely to remain on the market.

“As a public health advocate — and as a Black woman and mother — I am heartbroken that this rule has not made it over the finish line,” said Dr. Avenel Joseph, interim executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit health care advocacy group.

The FDA announced it would begin the process of banning menthol tobacco cigarettes in 2021. Since then, it has done all it is legally authorized to do to put the finalized rule to ban menthol in motion. It has since been in the hands of the Biden administration to move forward. Instead, it has been repeatedly delayed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/biden-menthol-cigarettes-ban-health-officials-rcna180749

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