The Biden administration has slammed the brakes on its plan for banning menthol cigarettes, at least for now, The Wall Street Journal said last week. The administration started considering the measure in 2021, hoping it would reduce smoking in young people and people of color — Black and Hispanic smokers are far more likely than white smokers to choose menthols. But it proved more controversial than expected in a public comment period conducted after the Food and Drug Administration finalized the proposal last year.
Opponents of a ban said it could result in racial profiling of Black smokers by police and trigger an illegal market and smuggling. “The cartels would capitalize on being able to smuggle mentholated cigarettes into the U.S.,” said Pete Forcelli, a former NYPD officer and retired deputy assistant director at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Cigarette companies lobbied against the change, while public health groups united in favor of it. Further delaying the policy would be “devastating,” David Margolius, the director of public health for Cleveland, said to The Washington Post.
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