Policy Implications of a Menthol Ban in Combustible Tobacco Products

This health policy piece addresses The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 (“Family Smoking Prevention “, 2009) and the US Food and Drug Administration announcement on April 28, 2022 that they are proposing rules to ban menthol flavors in combustible tobacco products (“FDA Proposes Rules Prohibiting Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars to Prevent Youth Initiation, Significantly Reduce Tobacco-Related Disease and Death,” 2022). With the 2009 policy, the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was granted authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products to protect public health and to reduce tobacco use by minors. This policy established the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). The policy banned flavors in cigarettes, except for menthol. Tobacco control efforts have resulted in an overall decline in cigarette smoking. However, this overall decline masks an increasing trend in menthol cigarette use (Substance & Mental Health Services, 2011). We need new strategies to reduce smoking in the US such as a menthol ban or lowering nicotine content in cigarettes. This paper will focus on a menthol ban in cigarettes and the implications of such a policy.

A ban on menthol in cigarettes is recommended, which should include a ban on menthol analogues, precursors and derivatives because of menthol’s appeal to youth and its role in smoking initiation, menthol’s disproportionate use by disadvantaged groups, and finally menthol makes it…