Anti-tobacco advocates are growing increasingly concerned that a divided White House will bow to political pressure from the tobacco industry and scrap a plan to ban menthol cigarette sales amid concerns of a backlash among Black voters ahead of the 2024 election.
The tobacco industry has long been accused of targeting the Black community, especially with menthol products. Public health experts say banning menthol could save hundreds of thousands of lives, particularly among Black smokers. An estimated 85 percent of Black smokers use menthols, according to federal statistics.
A potential ban on menthol cigarettes has been discussed across multiple administrations for more than a decade and has yet to come to fruition. But the political tide has been shifting in recent years, and a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus supports Biden’s proposal.
The ban is backed by groups including the NAACP, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and other public health organizations.
Public health experts have long said they’re used to making arguments that end up falling on deaf ears because of political calculations. They just hope menthol isn’t one of those instances.
“This is ultimately coming down to a political decision by the president and his senior advisers,” said Erika Sward, assistant vice president of national advocacy at the American Lung Association, adding that Biden’s legacy issue of cutting the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years will not happen if he backs down from banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
“If he is following the science and following the scientific advisers, then he will finalize these rules,” Sward said.
Even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally proposed a ban on menthol sales in 2022, the target date for the final rule has been slipping for months.
The rule was initially slated for August release but then wasn’t sent to the White House for final regulatory review until October, with the aim of releasing it by the end of the year. Now it’ll be March — if the rule is released at all.
“We have been trying to get the messaging up to the White House that there is political coverage, if they can just get out of their own way,” said Yolanda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
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