Plans for menthol cigarette ban delayed due to "immense" feedback

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Edited By Paula Cohen Updated on: April 26, 2024 / 5:01 PM EDT / CBS News Biden delays menthol cigarette ban decision White House delays decision on menthol cigarette ban 05:40 The Biden administration said Friday it would again delay a decision on a regulation aiming to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes, citing the "historic attention" and "immense amount of feedback" on the controversial proposal by the Food and Drug Administration.
"This rule has garnered historic attention and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
The American Civil Liberties Union is among the groups that has lobbied for months against a menthol cigarette ban, warning it would "disproportionately impact people of color" and "prioritize criminalization over republic health and harm reduction."
Public health groups have voiced frustration for months over repeated delays to the FDA's proposal that agency officials had hoped would be a core part of a federal push to significantly cut smoking rates in the U.S.