No timeline was given for when menthol cigarettes, which are the only flavor still allowed, would be banned, according to The Guardian.
The postponement is another setback for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has been working to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes for over a decade without success.
Previous attempts have been thwarted by the tobacco industry, but now both presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump are competing for the favor of black voters. 80 percent of black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes. The menthol flavor makes it easier to start smoking because it masks the harshness of the smoke. Most teenagers who smoke also use menthol cigarettes.
Menthol-flavored cigarettes have been banned in the EU since May 2020.
Flavored tobacco products are often banned in high-income countries that often have stricter tobacco laws. Tobacco companies have then increased their marketing in low- and middle-income countries, which has led to a sharp increase in menthol cigarettes' market share in those countries, as Tobacco Facts has previously reported.
