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WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The Biden administration
this week is expected to propose a ban on menthol cigarettes, a
move backed by civil rights groups that say Black Americans are
hurt by the industry's aggressive targeting of the product, the
Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
The administration will seek to ban menthol and other
flavors in mass-produced cigars, the newspaper reported, citing
unidentified administration officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration faces a Thursday court
deadline to respond to a 2013 citizen's petition seeking a ban
on menthols. Public health groups filed a lawsuit last year in
federal district court in Northern California to require the FDA
to respond to the petition.
The Post said it could be years before any ban would take
effect, but the move would be praised by anti-smoking groups.
Tobacco use remains a leading source of preventable illness and
death in the country, particularly for people of color.
The FDA declined to comment on the report from Post.
"There is not an open question on whether menthol in
cigarettes is harmful - the evidence is overwhelming and
consistent,” Joelle Lester, director of commercial tobacco
control programs at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in
Minnesota, told the Post https://wapo.st/3nvuQAM.
The law center led a group of 19 public health organizations
to file the 2013 petition.
Last week, tobacco stocks tumbled after the Wall Street
Journal https://on.wsj.com/3eGRF0q reported that the Biden
administration is weighing whether to move forward on a menthol
ban or a nicotine reduction in all cigarettes—or both. Such a
ban could impact Altria Group, maker of Marlboros;
Europe's Imperial Brands, maker of Gauloises and Winston
cigarettes; and British American Tobacco, maker of
Lucky Strike and Newport cigarettes.
Altria, Imperial Brands and British American Tobacco were
not immediately available for comment on the Post report.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Carl O'Donnell, Ankur Banerjee
and Aishwarya Venugopal; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Bill Berkrot and
Lisa Shumaker)
