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FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he wanted to ban menthol cigarettes because teens often become addicted to nicotine by smoking them.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
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Joe Raedle / Getty Images
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he wanted to ban menthol cigarettes because teens often become addicted to nicotine by smoking them.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday its intention to ban the sale of menthol flavored cigarettes.
The announcement took place while the agency was formally issuing a detailed plan also aimed at limiting the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes. He also wants to ban flavored cigars.
In a statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the measures were aimed at fighting youth smoking. Flavored electronic cigarettes, menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars are all very popular among teenagers.
"Today, I am pursuing actions to combat the disturbing trend of nicotine use among young people and to continue to advance the historic declines in the consumption of combustible cigarettes among children in recent years," he said. said Gottlieb.
While smoking reached a record level in the United States, vaping has exploded. This trend has raised concerns that a new generation of young people will become addicted to nicotine.
Gottlieb explained that these changes stem from new data showing a 78% increase in electronic cigarette consumption among high school students and 48% among college students from 2017 to 2018.
"These data shock my conscience," says Gottlieb.
The ban on menthol, in particular, has long been called for by public health authorities and anti-smoking advocates. The problem is that the aroma masks the hardness of tobacco smoke, which makes it easier for people to start smoking.
"I think these menthol flavored products represent one of the most common and pernicious routes by which children introduce them to combustible cigarettes," Gottlieb said.
Menthol cigarettes are particularly popular among African Americans, which has led some to blame tobacco companies for using these flavors to target minorities.
Several groups, including the NAACP, endorsed the FDA plan even before its official announcement. "For decades, the data show that the tobacco industry has successfully and intentionally marketed menthol cigarettes to African Americans and especially African Americans as" replacement smokers, "the statement said. NAACP in a statement.
Several cigarette manufacturers who market menthol cigarettes did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But in the past, they have vigorously opposed any effort to ban menthol cigarettes.
The proposed ban will require a lengthy rule-making process by the FDA before it can come into effect.
Anti-smoking groups welcomed the announcement.
"The FDA's decision to ban menthol cigarettes is one of the most important public health measures it has taken in years and will have a greater impact on mortality and disease." caused by tobacco in the United States than almost all others. " only action, "said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Children.
"Menthol cigarettes are the most important way to get kids to start smoking in the US It makes sense, because it helps to cover your throat." It's much easier to get used to it. hardness of tobacco smoke, "says Myers.
Some opponents of a menthol ban have argued that this could create an underground market for menthol cigarettes. But Myers and others reject this concern.
While Myers welcomed the new restrictions imposed by the FDA on electronic cigarette aromas, he called on the agency to go further and ban the aromas completely. According to the plan released Thursday, the FDA would continue to allow adults to buy flavored electronic cigarettes.
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