Is It the End for Menthol Cigarettes?
US regulators have announced their intention to ban menthol cigarettes over the past decade, but fallen short of taking action.
Packs of menthol cigarettes.
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images North AmericaHi, it’s Fiona in New York. A long-awaited ban on menthols was expected last month, but regulators pushed the deadline to March. More on that later…
Public health advocates gathered in the streets of Washington, DC, last week with a casket designed to look like a giant cigarette pack. The rally, described as a “menthol funeral,” was organized by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council. It aimed to send a powerful message to the White House: ban menthol cigarettes and save the lives of the 45,000 Black Americans who die from tobacco-related illnesses each year.