Menthol Cigarettes and the FDA’s New Menthol Cigarette Rule

The tobacco industry has long marketed menthol cigarettes as the product of choice for new smokers, women and Black Americans. Menthol masks the harshness of tobacco smoke, leading people who use mentholated cigarettes to inhale more deeply, inhaling greater quantities of toxic chemicals and tar. This increases nicotine dependence and makes it harder to quit smoking. See Here

In recent years, the FDA has been trying to limit sales of flavored cigarettes and cigars. The agency has proposed new rules that would ban the sale of mentholated cigarettes and cigars in the United States. This would not prohibit individual consumers from possessing or importing mentholated cigarettes or cigars from outside the country. However, the agency could enforce the new rule against manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, importers and retailers who manufacture or sell flavored cigarettes and cigars in the United States.

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The new rule would also require cigarettes and cigars to be labeled with health warnings. The labels would include graphic images of diseases caused by smoking and the ingredients of the cigarettes. The labels will also list the amount of tar and nicotine in each cigarette. The rule would take effect in 2023.

The tobacco industry has opposed these proposals. The industry has spread the false claim that removing menthol from cigarettes will lead to dangerous illicit trade, but there is no evidence to support this concern. The industry has also targeted communities of color, using the tobacco company Newport to recruit prominent Black leaders for a public blitz against the rule.

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