In a decision that has been widely criticised, the US Government has put on hold its plan to ban menthol cigarettes, a move that reflects the potential for a political backlash from black voters in an election year.
For years, civil rights groups have contended that menthol cigarettes pose a disproportionately higher risk in black communities, where they are heavily marketed, while Yolonda Richardson, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said research had showed that eliminating menthol cigarettes would cut the number of young people who start smoking, increase the number of smokers who quit, and save up to 654 000 lives within 40 years, including 255 000 black lives.
The US Centres for Disease Control & Prevention said 81% of black adults who smoked cigarettes used menthol varieties, compared with 34% of white adults, reports Reuters.
Derrick Johnson, president of civil rights group NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), said his organisation was outraged and disgusted by the political move.
“In an election year, politicians should be prioritising people, not profiteers…like Big Tobacco.”
Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, also expressed dismay over the delay. “Two full years after releasing proposed rules backed by extensive scientific evidence – and more than a decade since the FDA began examining menthol cigarettes – the administration has failed to take decisive action to remove these deadly, addictive products from the market.”
Reuters article – Biden administration delays plan to ban menthol cigarettes (Open access)
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