International
Biden administration delays plan to ban menthol cigarettes
The Biden administration on Friday (April 26) delayed its plan to ban menthol cigarettes, a move that reflected the potential for a political backlash from Black voters in an election year. For decades, menthol cigarettes have been in the crosshairs
For decades, menthol cigarettes have been in the crosshairs of anti-smoking groups who argue that they contribute to disproportionate health burdens on Black communities and play a role in luring young people into smoking.
About 81 per cent of Black adults who smoked cigarettes used menthol varieties, compared with 34 per cent of white adults, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
US health secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement that the proposed ban had brought immense feedback including from parts of the civil rights and criminal justice movement.
"It's clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time," he said in a statement that appeared to suggest it would not be sorted before the presidential election in November.
