White House delays decision on menthol cigarette ban
The proposal has drawn growing opposition from tobacco companies, concerned black law enforcement activists and small businesses, as President Biden enters an election year.
The Biden administration on Wednesday delayed its decision on whether to ban menthol cigarettes, amid intense lobbying from tobacco companies, convenience stores and industry-backed groups who say billions of dollars in sales and jobs will be lost.
The proposal has also raised concerns that black smokers would become targets of aggressive police tactics, although some black leaders, top lawmakers and government officials dispute that claim. and say tobacco companies are funding and fueling these fears.
The plan to eliminate menthol cigarettes was years in the making. The Food and Drug Administration formally proposed an official rule last year aimed at reducing health disparities, citing statistics that about 85% of black smokers prefer menthol brands. Black men particularly face outsized health risks, including high rates of lung cancer and smoking-related deaths.
In recent months, dozens of groups had a meeting with administration officials to discuss the proposal. Tobacco companies and convenience store groups fighting the ban have aligned with the National Action Network, founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, to make the argument about the potential for racial targeting by police. The group attended a large meeting with tobacco lobbyists and top administration officials on November 20.
Many other black organizations, including the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus, rejected the project. police argument, calling it a cynical attempt to exploit trauma and distract from the harms of cigarettes.
“What we see now,” said Patrice Willoughby, vice president of policy and legislation for the N.A.A.C.P., “is the reaction of a very well-organized industry that is peddling death to the black community. »
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The proposal has drawn growing opposition from tobacco companies, concerned black law enforcement activists and small businesses, as President Biden enters an election year.
The Biden administration on Wednesday delayed its decision on whether to ban menthol cigarettes, amid intense lobbying from tobacco companies, convenience stores and industry-backed groups who say billions of dollars in sales and jobs will be lost.
The proposal has also raised concerns that black smokers would become targets of aggressive police tactics, although some black leaders, top lawmakers and government officials dispute that claim. and say tobacco companies are funding and fueling these fears.
The plan to eliminate menthol cigarettes was years in the making. The Food and Drug Administration formally proposed an official rule last year aimed at reducing health disparities, citing statistics that about 85% of black smokers prefer menthol brands. Black men particularly face outsized health risks, including high rates of lung cancer and smoking-related deaths.
In recent months, dozens of groups had a meeting with administration officials to discuss the proposal. Tobacco companies and convenience store groups fighting the ban have aligned with the National Action Network, founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, to make the argument about the potential for racial targeting by police. The group attended a large meeting with tobacco lobbyists and top administration officials on November 20.
Many other black organizations, including the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus, rejected the project. police argument, calling it a cynical attempt to exploit trauma and distract from the harms of cigarettes.
“What we see now,” said Patrice Willoughby, vice president of policy and legislation for the N.A.A.C.P., “is the reaction of a very well-organized industry that is peddling death to the black community. »
We are having difficulty retrieving the content of the article.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. browser.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode, please exit and log in to your Times account, or subscribe to the entire Times.
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