On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Association Commissioner proposed a plan to ban menthol cigarettes and cigars, according to reports.
The report of the ban was first made by the Associated Press and comes just months after the appointment of new FDA Commissioner Robert Califf. The move also comes almost a year after the FDA said it would propose a ban in less than 12 months.
The ban on menthol has been a long-awaited move by the FDA and is receiving praise from leading health and civil rights groups, The Washington Post reported.
The ban will not only affect menthol products but also prohibit flavors in cigars, including more petite ones called cigarillos.
Califf announced the proposed bans while appearing at a congressional subcommittee, where he told a panel that the FDA had determined “that these actions are appropriate for the protection of public health.”
Califf said it would improve the health and “reduce the mortality risk of current smokers of menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars by substantially decreasing their consumption and increasing the likelihood of cessation.”
The federal ban will still require finalization before it goes into effect, but it would be the most significant step taken against the smoking industry since 2009, the Post reported.
In 2020 there were 203.7 billion cigarettes sold in the U.S., according to the annual Cigarette Report by the Federal Trade Commission. Menthol cigarettes make up 36% of the market but are also 50% of sales for the top-selling menthol brand, Newport.
More details on how the FDA plans to phase out menthol cigarettes are yet to come, but looking at other nations who have done so, like Canada, which did so from 2015 to 2017, it doesn’t appear to be an overnight switch.
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