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US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday that the proposed ban on menthol cigarettes in the United States “will take too long,” delaying a decision that has caused political concern for President Joe Biden as he runs for re-election. .
“This legislation has attracted historic attention and the public comment period has generated a tremendous amount of feedback, including from various parts of the civil rights and criminal justice movements,” Becerra said. Obviously there are still more discussions to be had, and this will take a lot of time.
An administration official declined to elaborate on what the current timeline for a final decision might be, saying he needs to talk to more groups and work to resolve the issues raised. “It's hard to put a timetable on that,” the official said.
All flavors in cigarettes are banned. 2009But the menthol is left behind Lobbying from the industry. The US Food and Drug Administration first said it would ban the popular mint flavor in April 2022, setting a deadline of August 2023. In October, the FDA sent final rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget. review, Key regulatory action. It is still listed as “pending”.
The FDA had set a March deadline to act on the rule, but when there was no movement, a coalition of civil rights and medical organizations sued the agency this month.
Menthol cigarettes have become a The main issue For Biden, who is anxiously awaiting an election year Falling in the election from black voters.
Minority groups, especially black people, were Targeted by violence Menthol marketing by tobacco companies, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and menthol cigarettes have contributed to widening health disparities.
Some civil rights leaders have ties to the tobacco industry He expressed his concern to the White House The ban would criminalize menthol cigarettes and increase deadly police interactions. Meanwhile, the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus supported the ban, along with many public health experts, who said it would save hundreds of thousands of black lives.
The FDA's proposed rule would ban the production and sale of menthol but not police the smokers themselves.
Proponents of the ban are troubled by the delay.
NAACP President Derek Johnson said in a statement Friday that the move is a blow to the black community, which continues to be unfairly targeted and unfairly killed by Big Tobacco. Let's be clear – Valuing Black Lives Matter should not be used as a tool to get our people to the polls, but rather as a platform from which our leaders do not want to step down. The NAACP is outraged and disgusted, but we don't want a ban.
American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a statement that it's been two years since the administration announced “recommendations supported by extensive scientific evidence,” and that “inaction is allowing the tobacco industry to continue to market and attract these products at high levels.” And it's getting new users addicted.
American Lung Association spokeswoman Erica Sward said in a statement: “The decision to delay the action is deeply troubling and does not reflect the science or the response of the civil rights community, including the NAACP, who believe these laws save lives and prevent children from getting sick.” to smoke The Lung Association is deeply concerned that President Biden has not kept his promises, which is to follow the science and reduce deaths and cancer.
Dr. Mignon Guy, an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a member of the FDA's Tobacco Products Advisory Committee, called the delay “unconscionable” and politically motivated.
“We must question the judgment and motives and motivations of individuals who claim to represent black communities, now and in the future, against a ban that will save hundreds of thousands of lives,” she said.
Cigarette smoking is the number 1 cause of preventable death, disease, and disability in the United States. More responsible. 480,000 people die a year In the country – and it does not kill only smokers. More than 41,000 people die each year in the United States from exposure to secondhand smoke. According to the CDC.
Banning menthol could save up to 650,000 lives over the next 40 years, a third of those in the black community, he said. Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
's Meg Tirrell, Brenda Goodman, Jen Christensen and Rene Marsh contributed to this report.