Photo: Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration is planning to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. The proposed ban was announced by FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf during a Senate committee hearing. He said that the ban would "improve the health and reduce the mortality risk of current smokers of menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars by substantially decreasing their consumption and increasing the likelihood of cessation."
The FDA said that an estimated 18.6 million people smoke menthols, accounting for 36% of all smokers in the United States. African Americans make up a disproportionate amount of menthol smokers. The FDA said that 85% of Black smokers use menthols, compared to 30% of White smokers.
Younger smokers also tend to smoke menthol cigarettes. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of children who smoke use menthols. In addition, many adults have said they first started smoking menthols.
The proposed ban is estimated to save 650,000 lives over the next 40 years. It will also result in nearly one million people quitting smoking within the first year and a half.
"Our decision is based on clear science and evidence established the addictiveness and harms of these products," Kathy Crosby, director of the Office of Health Communication and Education at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, said.