White House drops plan to ban menthol cigarettes

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday announced it is dropping — for now ― a plan to ban menthol cigarettes after months of speculation about the proposal’s future.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra did not say when or if the administration would revisit the issue, nor did he mention the fate of a related proposal to ban flavored cigars.

“This rule has garnered historic attention and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” he said. “It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time.”

The decision caps a yearslong fight between the tobacco industry looking to kill the rule and anti-smoking advocates — including a number of African American interest groups, such as the NAACP — trying to get the ban across the finish line. It now marks another footnote in the decades of debate over the issue.

Concerns over the politics amid President Joe Biden’s tight rematch with former President Donald Trump and fears of increased policing on people of color ultimately tanked the proposal. Menthol cigarettes are far more popular with Black smokers than white smokers, and the issue has divided Black leaders and interest groups.

Critics allege that while the rule targets only manufacturers and retailers, police officers would be tasked with enforcing it against consumers. The FDA has also not done enough to transition addicted smokers away from traditional cigarettes, critics argue, pointing to the fact that the agency has not yet authorized any menthol e-cigarettes.

—CQ-Roll Call

Athletic director at Maryland high school used AI to fake racist recording of principal, police say

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