Plan to ban menthols prompts lobbying blitz
As federal officials finalize a long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes, dozens of interest groups have met with White House staffers to try to influence the process, which has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives while wiping out billions in tobacco sales.
Biden administration officials have heard from tobacco lobbyists, anti-smoking advocates, civil rights groups, small business owners and conservative think tanks. The lobbying push underscores the far-reaching impacts of banning menthol, which accounts for over one-third of the U.S. cigarette market.
The White House concluded its review of the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal Thursday after nearly 40
virtual meetings with outside groups, according to a government website. The FDA has pledged to lay out a detailed proposal for phasing out the flavor by month’s end, meaning an official announcement could come next week.
Meeting materials posted online show nearly all the groups opposing the ban have financial ties to tobacco companies, including businesses that sell cigarettes and nonprofit groups that receive charitable contributions.
Menthol is the only cigarette flavor that wasn’t banned under the 2009 law that gave the FDA authority over tobacco products. Several efforts to eliminate menthol since then have been derailed by industry pushback or competing political priorities.
Menthol’s persistence infuriates health advocates because the ingredient’s cooling effect has been shown to make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. The health consequences have disproportionately fallen on Black smokers, 85% of whom use menthols.
FDA officials estimate that a ban could prevent 630,000 smoking deaths over 40 years, more than a third among Black people.
Anti-tobacco groups are closely tracking the review by the White House’s budget arm, after watching earlier FDA tobacco proposals get shelved or diluted under prior administrations.
“The concern with this process is that, in the past, political considerations have overtaken the scientific analysis of the FDA,” said Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “But I’m optimistic that the rule will come out in substantially the same form as the agency proposed it.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget reviews all major federal regulations before publication, particularly those that could impact the economy. Outside groups and individuals can request a meeting, offering a last chance to try and shape the final product.