FDA proposes ban on menthol cigarettes

Posted June 1, 2022

By Nardin Ishak

Staff Reporter

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a ban on April 28 that, if finalized, would prohibit menthol cigarettes and all cigar flavors, other than tobacco.

The FDA first announced they would work on a ban a year ago. The FDA estimates the ban could save 650,000 lives over four decades, especially youths and African Americans. They are the user majority for menthol flavored cigarettes and flavored cigars. 

“In 2021, cigars were the second most widely used tobacco product among high schoolers,” stated Matthew Wellington, Director of Public Health Campaigns for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Activists and Black communities support the proposed ban since menthol cigarette campaigns have been targeting their African American neighborhoods. 

“Banning menthol—the last allowable flavor—in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products,” stated Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting FDA commissioner.

According to the American Lung Association, about three in four African American smokers smoke menthol cigarettes. That is 77% of African American smokers, which is over three times higher than their white counterparts at 23%. According to the CDC, even though African Americans start smoking at a later age compared to their white counterparts, smoking is still a major contributor to to the top three death causes among African Americans.

According to a CDC study, 63.4% of African Americans reported attempting to quit smoking compared to 53.3% of Whites, but the industry haven't made it easy.

"The tobacco industry has aggressively marketed menthol products to young people and African Americans, especially in urban communities. Tobacco companies have historically placed larger amounts of advertising in African American publications, exposing African Americans to more cigarette ads than Whites,¨ stated The CDC.

Menthol cigarettes make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. Menthol makes it easier to inhale cigarette smoke, therefore making the harmful chemicals more easily absorbed into the body. Menthol also enhances nicotine effects on the brain, which makes it even more addictive and harder to quit.

“This is only the beginning of the end. It’s not the end,” stated Phillip Gardiner, DrPh, longtime public health researcher, activist, and co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council.