The United States is considering banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has started the process to introduce a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in the United States.

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Soon the United States could ban menthol cigarettes, as already happened in Europe, where the ban began in May 2020. In addition, the sale of flavored cigars will also be banned in the US. This was announced there Food and Drug Administration americana (FDA), which has started the process to introduce this ban with the aim of combating addictions, particularly among the younger generations and the African-American community, and the damage to health caused by these products. Menthol, in fact, is used in cigars and cigarettes to create a cooling sensation in the throat, which makes the experience more pleasant.

The reasons behind the ban

It is now well known that smoking poses a health risk, but why did the Food and Drug Administration decide to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars? According to the US government agency, menthol camouflages unpleasant flavors, making them more palatable especially among the youngest, attracted to experimentation with their peers. Additionally, menthol products are more addictive, even enhancing the effects of nicotine.

"Banning menthol (the last permitted flavor) in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these lethal products." - Clarifies the Food and Drug Administration in a note - "With these actions, the FDA will contribute to significantly reduce youth initiation, discourage smoking and address health disparities among communities of color, the poorest low and LGBTQ + people, groups more likely to use these products.

"Together, these actions represent effective and science-based approaches that will have an extraordinary impact on public health" - highlights the FDA - Armed with scientific evidence and with the full support of the Administration, we are convinced that these moves will lead towards the end of the tobacco-related illnesses and deaths in the United States “.

According to a recent scientific study conducted in Canada, banning menthol cigarettes in the United States would help quit smoking 923.000 smokers, including 230.000 African Americans, within the first 3-17 months after the ban went into effect.

The reactions to the decision made by the FDA

The FDA announcement was enthusiastically received by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which since 1909 deals with the protection of the rights of the Afro-American community:

“For many years, the data have confirmed that the tobacco industry has successfully and intentionally marketed mentholated cigarettes to African Americans and especially African American women. Additionally, menthol smokers are known to have a harder time quitting smoking and that tobacco use is a major contributor to heart disease, cancer and stroke, the top three causes of death among African Americans. This ban was long overdue to protect the health of African Americans and to reduce the deleterious impact of menthol smoking and tobacco use in general on the health of the United States ”.

Also 'American Medical Association she said she was satisfied with the ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. "If menthol cigarettes had been removed from the market in 2010, by 2020, about 17.000 premature deaths could have been avoided and 2,3 million people would not have started smoking," notes the American association.

Of a different opinion, however, Altria Group, one of the largest tobacco companies in the world, according to which the ban will not bring the desired results:

"We share the common goal of pushing adult smokers from cigarettes to potentially less harmful alternatives, but the ban doesn't work," said George Parman, spokesperson for Altria Group. "A far better approach would be to support the creation of a market for FDA-cleared non-fuel alternatives that are attractive to adult smokers."

Source: FDA/NPR