The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to ban the use of menthol cigarettes in America, a move that has been called for by anti-tobacco groups, anti-teen smoking groups and racial justice groups in America.
The move had been anticipated since the start of the Biden administration last year, when the president made addressing the uptick in teenage smoking a priority.
Menthol cigarettes — often referred to colloquially as just “menthol” — are known for their minty flavor and have been linked to higher rates of smoking and smoking-related illnesses among black Americans over the past few decades.
Flavored cigars, like cigarillos, are to be banned. Both moves are part of a larger FDA effort to target flavored tobacco products, which are blamed for increasing smoking among teenagers.
The FDA is in the process of banning menthol cigarettes as their minty flavor has made them popular in many black and youth communities
Robert Califf, FDA’s new commissioner, previewed the announcement in congressional testimony, saying the proposal would reduce disease and death by helping smokers quit and preventing younger people from starting.
Menthol accounts for more than a third of cigarettes sold in the US, and the mint flavor is overwhelmingly favored by black smokers and young people.
The FDA has tried several times to get rid of menthol, but has been pushed back by Big Tobacco, members of Congress, and competing political interests under both Democratic and Republican governments.
The agency was under legal pressure to make a decision after anti-smoking and civil rights groups sued the FDA for “inappropriately” delaying action on previous requests to ban menthol.
Menthol’s cooling effects have been shown to mask smoking’s sore throat, making it easier to get started and more difficult to quit.
The FDA will also seek to ban menthol and dozens of overly sweet and fruity flavors from small cigars, which are growing in popularity among young people, especially black teenagers.
The agency’s proposals on both cigarettes and cigars will only be first drafts. The FDA will be taking comments before issuing final rules, which could then face years of legal challenges from tobacco companies.
The FDA’s move is part of a larger effort by regulators to reduce tobacco and nicotine use in America, particularly among more vulnerable groups
Menthol is the only cigarette flavoring that wasn’t banned under the 2009 law that gave the FDA authority on tobacco products, an exception negotiated by industry lobbyists. However, the law directed the agency to continue to weigh a ban.
The cigarettes were commonly associated with the Newport brand, the leading seller of menthol cigarettes in America.
RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, which owns Newport, told DaailyMail.com in a statement: “We strongly believe there are more effective ways to reduce tobacco harm than banning menthol in cigarettes.
“Evidence from other markets, including Canada and the EU, where similar bans have been in place, shows little impact on overall cigarette consumption.”
“The scientific evidence shows no difference in the health risks of menthol cigarettes compared to non-menthol cigarettes, nor does it show that menthol cigarettes adversely affect initiation, addiction, or cessation. As a result, we do not believe that published science supports regulating menthol cigarettes differently than non-menthol cigarettes.
However, not all experts agree with this type of bans.
“We have to be careful how we implement taste bans,” said Dr. Rutgers University’s Michael Steinberg told earlier this month.
He later added, “…we must respect people’s freedom and the choice they make about their personal health.”
Flavored products in particular are often the target of regulations because they are easier to use as a gateway for non-smokers, as one of the main deterrents to tobacco use is taste.
It’s especially relevant for younger smokers using vape devices like a JUUL, a popular refillable nicotine device.
While they may not like the taste of nicotine, it’s much easier to enjoy the fruity, flavorful flavors.
‘[The bans last April] will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products,” the FDA wrote in a statement last year.
“By taking these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth intake and increase the chances of smoking cessation.”
Earlier this month, the agency was also given the power to regulate synthetic nicotine, filling a loophole that opened after the agency asked all e-cigarette and e-cigarette manufacturers to take product off their shelves unless they did , they received the approval of the authority.
Last year, the FDA began a crackdown on flavored nicotine products, forcing any product that wants to be sold in America to first obtain agency approval
Under the new rules, a company wanting to market a fruit- or mint-flavored refillable device must first get approval from the FDA — which turned down hundreds of them.
To circumvent these orders, many companies began using synthetic forms of the drug in their devices to evade regulators.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also released a study last month that found more than 2.5 million U.S. college students had used some type of tobacco product in 2021 — a definition that includes nicotine devices that Do not disperse tobacco.
Officials reported that 80 percent of tobacco use came from single-use e-cigarettes and cartridge products — like a JUUL.
In the study, approximately 2.06 million high school students — 13 percent of the study population — and four percent of middle school students — 470,000 participants — reported “current” tobacco use.
For comparison, in 2020, the CDC reported that eight percent of high school students and three percent of middle school students were current tobacco users.
Teenage tobacco and nicotine use has increased in recent years, reversing years of downward trend
Students were also asked if they had ever used tobacco products in their lives, with 34 percent of high school students and 11 percent of middle school students reporting at least one use.
According to the CDC study, e-cigarette devices were the biggest contributors to the increase in nicotine and tobacco use over the past year.
Of the students who reported being current smokers, 54 percent use a single-use e-cigarette and 29 percent said they use some type of refillable device — similar to a JUUL.
Opponents of these bans say they will push teenagers to use more harmful tobacco products like cigarettes instead of nicotine, which poses less risk.
“By badmouthing safer nicotine products like vaping, we will inadvertently encourage high schoolers to smoke instead, which will be a terrible outcome,” Mark Oates, director of consumer advocacy group We Vape, told in March.