FDA vows to push ban on menthol cigarettes

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced it would move to ban menthol tobacco cigarettes and flavored cigars, a historic step the agency said would significantly prevent death and disease, particularly among Black Americans.

A ban would “significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.

Studies have shown that 7 out of 10 Black youths who smoke use menthol. More than 90% of Black adults who smoke began by using menthol cigarettes in comparison to less than 45% of white adults, according to another study.

The FDA said it is working to propose regulations banning menthol flavor within the next year, a move that could lead more than 900,000 smokers to quit within the first year and a half of a ban, including more than 200,000 Black Americans, its statement said.

The move is in response to a lawsuit filed last summer by medical groups, including the American Medical Association, that aimed to force a final decision on a ban and alleged that regulators “unreasonably delayed” responding to a 2013 citizen petition urging a ban.

Congress in 2009 banned the sale of most flavored cigarettes, except menthol, a popular flavor, after industry lobbyists negotiated an exemption.