If Biden bans menthol cigarettes, it might be very good for Trump.
SlateAntismoking groups have been pressuring Joe Biden for years to ban menthol cigarettes. But there are also concerns that the goals of the ban would be undermined by the FDA’s restrictions on safer alternatives like flavored e-cigarettes, which would incentivize illicit markets, make menthol smokers more likely to stick with conventional cigarettes, and potentially subject the ban to legal challenge. That survey finds that voters generally support ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and that a ban would make no difference in the margin between Biden and Trump. A federal ban would not target individual users—but pushing menthol cigarettes into illicit markets likely would lead to arrests and prosecutions of sellers. The FDA’s proposed menthol rule relies heavily on a study published in 2021 projecting that a federal ban would avert about 650,000 premature deaths by the year 2060, demonstrating a substantial benefit to public health.
History of this topic
Biden administration indefinitely postpones rule that would have banned menthol-flavored cigarettes
Hindustan TimesBiden admin postpones ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes
Associated Press
Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback
LA Times
Hoping to chip away at Biden’s Black vote, conservative group to test menthol cigarette message in South Carolina primary
CNN
Biden administration must decide soon on menthol cigarettes or risk proposed ban going up in smoke, advocates say
CNN
Dozens of health organizations pledge ‘full support’ for federal ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars
CNN
US Wants to Ban Menthol Cigarettes, Here's Why
News 18
FDA issues plan to ban menthol in cigarettes, cigars
Associated Press
Plan to ban menthol cigarettes prompts late lobbying blitz
Associated Press
US vows again to ban menthol flavor in cigarettes, cigars
Associated Press
FDA vows to push ban on menthol cigarettes, a move it says could save Black lives
LA Times
FDA Moves To Ban Menthol Cigarettes And Flavored Cigars
NPRDiscover Related
