The Biden administration said Friday it was delaying a decision on whether to ban menthol cigarettes as federal officials took more time to consider the decision.
The White House has faced considerable opposition from big tobacco companies, which could lose billions of dollars from the move. But the proposal also poses risks for President Biden in an election year because of his weakening support among Black voters, some of whom view it as authoritarian.
“This rule has received historic attention and the public comment period generated an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movements,” said Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. and Social Services, in a press release.
“It is clear that there is still a lot of discussion to be had, and it will take a lot more time.”
The delay goes against a major initiative by federal regulators, who saw the ban as a way to save lives and reduce lung cancer deaths. The idea brought together a wide range of public health groups, including leading lung, heart, cancer and pediatric associations.
They cite years of data suggesting that menthol cigarettes, long marketed to African-American smokers, make starting smoking more pleasant and harder to quit.
“Two years after issuing proposed rules supported by extensive scientific evidence – and more than a decade since the FDA began reviewing menthol cigarettes – the administration has not taken decisive action to remove from the market these deadly and addictive products,” Nancy Brown, executive director of the American Heart Association, said in a statement.
“The administration’s inaction allows the tobacco industry to continue to aggressively market these products and attract and addict new users.”
The FDA officially proposed the ban in May 2022, saying 18.5 million smokers preferred menthol brands in the United States. Researchers looking at similar measures in other countries have estimated that a ban could cause almost a quarter of smokers to quit, with the rest switching to non-menthol cigarettes or managing to continue smoking menthol cigarettes.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the administration’s decision Friday.
The proposal was submitted to the White House in October. Soon, official calendars were flooded with requests for meetings from supporters of the ban as well as opponents, including tobacco companies, convenience stores and gas stations who predicted the ban would cost them billions. dollars in sales.
Reynolds American, which makes Newport menthol cigarettes, has donated millions of dollars in recent years to political action funds benefiting Republican lawmakers, as well as $1 million in February to a fund supporting former President Donald Trump.
Altria, which makes Marlboro menthol cigarettes, donated fewer but also contributed to funds supporting Republican lawmakers.
Congressional Republicans denounced the project…
