Concern Rises As Important Ban Faces Potential Delay 

The delay will cause more harm.

The much-anticipated ban on menthol cigarettes might face a delay until 2024, as per insiders from prominent national public health organizations actively striving to eliminate these products. These sources, seeking anonymity, hint at a potential announcement delay by the Biden administration, possibly surfacing in the upcoming week.

Concerns loom within these health groups that the ban could be pushed even further, potentially extending beyond the 2024 presidential election. One official expressed deep worry regarding this delay, emphasizing the increasing difficulty in executing such decisions during election periods due to distractions and stretched resources.

However, the White House has refrained from commenting on this matter.

Efforts to ban menthol cigarettes have been underway for over a decade. Although a citizen petition in 2013 prompted the FDA to consider banning menthol as a cigarette flavor, finalizing the regulations has been a slow-moving process.

Earlier statements by Brian King, the director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, pledged the agency’s commitment to complete the rulemaking process in 2023. However, the FDA missed its self-imposed August deadline.

The impact of menthol use predominantly affects communities of color, with a significantly higher percentage of Black smokers favoring menthols compared to white smokers. This usage trend contributes to disparities in lung cancer diagnosis and mortality rates among different racial groups, with Black individuals being diagnosed less frequently at treatable stages of the disease.

Public health advocacy groups, like the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association, have strongly advocated for the discontinuation of menthol tobacco products. They emphasize that delaying the ban contradicts President Biden’s commitment to cancer eradication, hindering goals outlined in the Cancer Moonshot initiative.

The FDA reiterated its commitment to finalizing rules banning menthol tobacco products, affirming the extensive procedural steps involved in this process, including public input consideration and reviews by various governmental bodies.

Menthol cigarettes, known for their addictive nature, provide a cooling sensation that eases the harshness of nicotine and cigarette taste, amplifying their addictive potential. Quitting menthols proves to be more challenging compared to non-menthol cigarettes, as highlighted by CDC data.

Overall, the urgent call remains to remove these products from the market to save lives, supported by substantial scientific evidence and data. The focus persists on achieving this critical health objective despite the regulatory hurdles and industry discussions ongoing within the Biden administration.