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It’s been more than 50 years
since the landmark Surgeon General’s report “Smoking and Health,” yet smoking
is still the top cause of preventable death, disease and disability in the
country. In general, cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000
deaths per year in the US, including more than 41,000 deaths from
secondhand smoke.
Last week, there was another
potential monumental moment in the fight against tobacco: The FDA proposed a rule to ban
menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
"The proposed product
standards would, among other things, 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. This is another important move forward in the agency's
efforts to combat youth tobacco use and promote health equity," FDA
Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate subcommittee.
The FDA has considered
banning menthol for more than a decade. It is the last flavored cigarette
allowed in the US. The 2009 Tobacco Control Act banned all other flavored
cigarettes and gave the FDA the authority to regulate the tobacco industry
to protect public health. The law also required the FDA to conduct and fund
research on menthol.
After several years of FDA
investigation and public input from hundreds of thousands of interested
parties, the Public Health Law Center and other groups filed a citizens
petition requesting that the agency prohibit menthol in cigarettes. A 2020
lawsuit alleged that the FDA unreasonably delayed issuing a final response.
In 2021, the FDA announced it would pursue rulemaking.
About 18.6 million people
smoke menthols in the United States. That's about 36% of all smokers, according
to the FDA, and a disproportionate number are people of color. The tobacco
industry has heavily marketed menthol products to communities of color and
other minority groups.
About 30% of White smokers
choose menthols, but they are the cigarette of choice for nearly 85% of
smokers who are Black. About 40% of women smoke menthols, compared with 31%
of men, according to the FDA.
Cutting out menthol in
cigarettes and cigars could have a significant effect on the number of
smokers, the FDA said. By one estimate, it could prevent 650,000 premature
deaths over the next 40 years.
Another study projects that
an elimination of menthol as a cigarette flavor would lead 923,000 people
to quit smoking, including 230,000 African Americans, in the first year and
a half.
The proposal is still open
for public comment, and the agency will need to make the final ruling.
We have a chance to make
another landmark moment in public health and literally save lives.
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