The US FDA has proposed banning menthol cigarettes, a decision applauded by groups fighting for civil rights, according to which the cigarette industry has an aggressive marketing past towards black communities, which has resulted in severe smoking-related illnesses and death. At the same time, the FDA also proposed banning flavorings in cigars, including small cigarillos, which are very popular with teenagers.
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The tender proposal was announced by the FDA commissioner Robert M. Califf who underlined how it is in line with the protection of public health and will help “reduce the risk of mortality of those who smoke menthol cigarettes and aromatic cigars, contributing to a decrease in consumption and increasing the chances of quitting”.
The FDA proposal is the most disruptive and aggressive action taken against the tobacco industry since the US Congress, in 2009, gave it the authority to regulate tobacco products, he said. Matthew L. Myerspresident of the campaign for tobacco-free children.
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“A giant step forward” in reducing health disparities caused by smoking, he enthused Carol McGruderco-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, a group that has urgently called for the abolition of these cigarettes.
Tobacco companies sold 203.7 billion cigarettes in 2020 in the United States, the first increase in two decades, albeit far less than the peak of 1980, when 600 million cigarettes were sold in one year. Menthol cigarettes together account for about 36% of the market, 50% for the company that makes Newport (Reynolds American), the best-selling brand. The companies that produce these cigarettes have obviously objected that research does not consider their products different from traditional cigarettes (and therefore it is not clear why only they are affected).
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“We believe harm reduction is the best way, not prohibitions. Making these products illegal will push them into an unregulated, illegal, criminal market that ignores all laws, ”commented Altria, another manufacturer, who has a menthol version of the Marlboros on the market.
But prohibition is not around the corner. It will take a couple of years, during which the FDA will accept external comments and finally write the final decision which will include the time allowed for companies to stop production. After all, today’s announcement comes after a year, when the FDA promised to issue a tender for flavored products within 12 months.
85% of black smokers choose menthol
Menthol products are deeply rooted in black communities: today more than 85% of black smokers choose menthol cigarettes (more than three times that of whites). And the reason, according to many researchers, is to be found in the aggressive marketing of the tobacco industry, even if the industries deny. The African American community, however, is dying of tobacco-related diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, at much higher levels than other ethnic groups.
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Today, however, some leaders of black communities fear the risk that the prohibition of menthol cigarettes could lead to illegal consumption and potentially dangerous confrontations with the police. In a letter to the White House, the reverend Al Sharpton he wrote that the prohibition could exacerbate spirits and that a commission would be useful to study the potential effects on the community. Of course, Sharpton is the founder and president of the National Action Network, a nonprofit that has received funding from Reynolds. The reverend immediately pointed out that the contributions do not influence the position of the organization. But when you think badly, sometimes you get it right.