Current:Home > StocksMenthol cigarette ban delayed due to "immense" feedback, Biden administration says-InfoLens
Menthol cigarette ban delayed due to "immense" feedback, Biden administration says
View Date:2024-12-23 17:06:49
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 White House had already overshot a previous self-imposed date to decide on the regulation by March. The rule had been stalled in an interagency review process.
A senior administration official said it was hard to put a timeline on the delay, citing lingering disagreements after "months of hard conversations."
The official said they are asking for more time to hear from outside groups, especially on the civil rights side.
They acknowledged high rates of Black Americans dying from use of menthol cigarettes, which drove the FDA's initial push for a ban, but said there were civil rights concerns about how such a rule would be enforced.
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."
"It's clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time," Becerra said in his statement.
The White House has so far fielded more than 100 meetings over the proposal with dozens of outside groups for and against the regulation, ranging from convenience store associations to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
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.
Advocates have worried that delays will push the rule into a window that would allow opponents to overturn the rule using the Congressional Review Act during the next presidential term.
"The administration's inaction is enabling the tobacco industry to continue aggressively marketing these products and attracting and addicting new users," Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, said in a statement.
In a statement, FDA spokesperson James McKinney said the agency "remains committed to issuing the tobacco product standards for menthol in cigarettes and characterizing flavors in cigars" as a top priority.
At a House Appropriations Committee hearing this month, FDA Administrator Robert Califf said said he hoped the ban could be cleared by the end of the year.
"I'm a cardiologist and I practiced in North Carolina for 35 years. I probably have seen more people die from tobacco related illness than almost any physician because I was an intensivist who dealt with the end stage of the disease. This is a top priority for us," he said.
–Nancy Cordes contributed reporting.
- In:
- Biden Administration
- Food and Drug Administration
- Cigarette
Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.
TwitterveryGood! (7)
Related
- Will Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end in KO? Boxers handle question differently
- Investigation into killings of 19 burros in Southern California desert hits possible breakthrough
- Terry Beasley, ex-Auburn WR and college football Hall of Famer, dies at 73
- Eagerly awaited redistricting reports that will reshape Wisconsin Legislature are due
- Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
- The 'Harvard of Christian schools' slams Fox News op/ed calling the college 'woke'
- Vibrations in cooling system mean new Georgia nuclear reactor will again be delayed
- Correction: Palestinian Groups-Florida story.
- Suspected shooter and four others are found dead in three Kansas homes, police say
- Washington Commanders hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coach, AP sources say
Ranking
- Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
- New Hampshire school worker is charged with assaulting 7-year-olds, weeks after similar incident
- Heidi Klum’s NSFW Story Involving a Popcorn Box Will Make You Cringe
- Big Brother's Christie Murphy Gives Birth, Welcomes Twins With Wife Jamie Martin
- Texas man accused of supporting ISIS charged in federal court
- Russian band critical of Putin detained after concert in Thailand, facing possible deportation to Russia
- Power outage at BP oil refinery in Indiana prompts evacuation, temporary shutdown
- Prosecutors weigh perjury charge for ex-Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg over civil fraud trial testimony
Recommendation
-
The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
-
Satellite images show massive atmospheric river that is barreling over the West Coast
-
Reports: Commanders name former Cowboys defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, new head coach
-
Washington Commanders hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coach, AP sources say
-
Amtrak service disrupted after fire near tracks in New York City
-
Take it from Jimmy Johnson: NFL coaches who rely too much on analytics play risky game
-
Botched's Dr. Terry Dubrow Shares Health Update After Quitting Ozempic
-
Two Native American boys died at a boarding school in the 1890s. Now, the tribe wants them home