Is the end of menthol coming soon in the United States?

In the United States, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have brought the issue of health inequalities to the forefront. According to the New York Times, civil society's mobilization to combat smoking could soon lead to a ban on tobacco. menthol for tobacco products.[1].

Across the Atlantic, the consumption of menthol tobacco products is a true ethnic marker. Since the 1960s, the tobacco industry has targeted the Black community with particularly aggressive and effective marketing campaigns. Even today, while fewer than 30% of white smokers smoke menthol, this proportion reaches 85 to 90% among African-American smokers.

An increasingly mobilized civil society

According to the New York Times, there is growing pressure to regulate tobacco and nicotine products, both at the local and federal levels. The exponential growth in the use of flavored e-cigarettes among young people has brought the issue of banning menthol back to the table, resonating with white families. By the end of April 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have to respond to a citizen petition to ban its sale.

Encouraging signs after Joe Biden's election

While White House spokesman Kevin Munoz declined to comment on whether Joe Biden supports a menthol ban, public health advocates are hopeful that regulatory changes will follow soon, given the new president's support for previous tobacco control measures. Moreover, the appointment of Xavier Becerra, former California Attorney General, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, tends to reassure health organizations on this point. Indeed, Xavier Becerra has distinguished himself by implementing ambitious measures: in August 2020, California became the second state in the United States to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products.

Multiply the supports to maintain the menthol

The menthol ban faces strong opposition from the tobacco industry. In 2018, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the first commissioner of the FDA of the Trump administration, announced that the agency would ban menthol cigarettes. This announcement was immediately contested by Richard Burr, a Republican senator from North Carolina, whose two children hold lobbying positions for two multinational tobacco companies. Burr's opposition to the menthol ban prompted the Trump administration to abandon the measure. As much as possible, the tobacco industry increased its political support, particularly among the African-American community. For example, cigarette companies joined forces with certain civil rights activists, arguing that the menthol ban would give police an alibi to stop and search more African-American individuals.

[1] New York Times, Cigarette taxes as cigarette policy Free, March 22, 2021 (accessed the same day)

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