Menthol cigarettes will continue to be on the market after Biden drops plans to ban them : Shots
Menthol cigarettes are popular among Black and Latino smokers, and a Biden administration official cited civil rights as the reason for the ban’s repeal.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
Menthol cigarettes are popular among Black and Latino smokers, and a Biden administration official cited civil rights as the reason for the ban’s repeal.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The Biden administration has indefinitely delayed implementation of a long-awaited ban on menthol tobacco products, angering anti-smoking advocates who say the White House is prioritizing politics. better than public health.
Controversy, especially in the Black community, is one reason Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra hinted at as the rationale for repealing the proposed ban. In a statement, Becerra said the rule drew “a large amount of feedback, including from diverse elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movements,” adding that addressing the the problem “will take significantly longer.”
The original ban on menthol cigarettes was proposed more than two years ago, after extensive research into the effects of menthol flavoring.
Many public health advocacy groups expressed disappointment, arguing that the public health debate had been resolved decades ago.
“This decision prioritizes politics over lives, especially black lives,” Yolanda Richardson, President and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. “It is especially troubling to see the administration repeat the tobacco industry’s false claims about support from the civil rights community.”
“The administration’s inaction is enabling the tobacco industry to continue to aggressively market these products, while attracting and addictive for new users.
Menthol accounts for more than a third of cigarette sales in the US, but is disproportionately marketed among black communities, as well as women and the LGBTQ community. Up to 85% of blacks smoke menthol cigarettes – a health risk that also explains why lung cancer rates are highest in that community. So the issue of banning menthol cigarettes — or limiting access to them — has divided the Black community.
Some civil rights leaders, most notably the Rev. Al Sharpton, received support from the tobacco industry and argued that a ban on menthol cigarettes would lead to tighter controls on with Black communities.
