The US Food and Drug Administration will publish proposed rules banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported. The ban would reportedly affect a third of cigarettes sold in the US each year, though stop short of banning menthol-flavored e-cigarettes.
Once published, the rules will be open to public comment. If enacted, the ban would likely not take effect until at least 2024, barring any lawsuits, according to the Journal. Some states and cities have already banned menthol cigarettes.
Menthol cigarettes are big business for the tobacco industry. One company, British American Tobacco, makes about 30% of its global profits from menthol cigarette sales in the United States, the Journal reported.
In a statement last year, the FDA said that 18.6 million people in America smoke menthol cigarettes. There’s a racial divide within that group. Of Black smokers, 85% smoke menthol cigarettes. Of white smokers, 30% do, according to the FDA.
“For far too long, certain populations, including African Americans, have been targeted, and disproportionately impacted by tobacco use. Despite the tremendous progress we’ve made in getting people to stop smoking over the past 55 years, that progress hasn’t been experienced by everyone equally,” said Mitch Zeller, then director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.
The share of US smokers using menthols has risen from 30.5% in 2005 to 43% in 2020, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Over half of smokers younger than 18 smoke menthol cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The FDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dangers of smoking and risk of addiction are well known. While e-cigarettes and vapes are a newer issue, mounting evidence says they can be just as addictive as traditional cigarettes. Experts says finding support is one key to quitting.
Read more: New Zealand Plans to Completely Ban Smoking for the Next Generation
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
