- [Narrator] If you've taken a menthol cough drop,
you probably noticed a minty flavor
and a cool numbing sensation in the back of your throat.
That feeling is similar to the one you get
from smoking these, menthol cigarettes,
and it's part of why the Biden administration
is trying to prevent them from being sold.
- Health officials say
that menthol cigarettes are more appealing to young people
because the menthol eases the throat irritation
that you experience when you first try a cigarette.
- [Narrator] Aside from regular tobacco,
menthols are currently the only flavor of cigarette allowed
on the market.
And they're popular.
43% of smokers in the US used menthols in 2020.
Here's why the FDA wants to ban them
from being sold and distributed in the US,
and why the move is being opposed
by some Black community leaders.
Menthol, a compound that occurs naturally in mint plants
triggers the same receptors we use
to sense cold,
which creates that numb, chilling sensation.
Menthol brands like Newport,
the most popular menthol in the US,
emphasized the flavor in their older marketing.
♪ Smoother Newport ♪
♪ Fresher Newport ♪
♪ Smoother, more refreshing cigarette ♪
- [Narrator] But the FDA says that in addition
to reducing the harshness of smoking,
menthol also makes it harder to quit.
- Menthol interacts with nicotine
in the brain to enhance nicotine's addictive effect,
according to the FDA,
making menthol cigarettes even more additive
than regular cigarettes.
So they start kids younger
and then they keep them hooked for a lifetime,
US officials say.
- [Narrator] The biggest US tobacco companies
have rejected the FDA's findings.
- They say that menthol cigarettes
don't have any different health effect
than a regular cigarette.
- [Narrator] Despite this, the FDA got White House support
to move forward on the ban last year
as part of the Biden administration's
Cancer Moonshot initiative,
which aims to reduce the cancer death rate
by at least 50% over the next 25 years.
- The rules announced today would enforce regulations
related to what stores sell
and what companies manufacture and distribute.
- [Narrator] A recent study projected
that a ban on menthol cigarettes
would prompt an estimated 1.3 million US smokers to quit.
The FDA says that menthol smoking
disproportionately impacts youth and young adults.
In 2019, researchers estimated
that more than one million US middle
and high school students had smoked a cigarette
in the last month.
Of those, about 47% reported smoking a menthol.
The flavor is also popular among Black smokers.
- For decades, cigarette companies
have marketed menthol brands
like Newport, Kool and Salem to Black people,
distributing free packs in Black neighborhoods
and running magazine and billboard ads,
depicting carefree Black smokers.
- [Narrator] Black smokers are more likely to use menthols.
They also die at higher rates
of smoking-related cancers than other groups,
according to the CDC.
And US health officials say the ban
would help address those disparities.
The NAACP has been in support of the ban,
saying that "the targeting and marketing
of menthol flavoring
by the tobacco industry
have had a devastating impact on our community."
But others think the ban could present problems.
Reynolds American, which makes Newport,
has given money to prominent Black community leaders
who have opposed the ban,
like Reverend Al Sharpton
and Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump.
Crump says he's accepted money
from Reynolds for things like scholarships
for Black youth
but the money has not influenced his opinion.
Sharpton did not reply to requests for comment.
They, and groups like the ACLU
and members of the Congressional Black Caucus
have expressed concerns that the ban
will disproportionately impact people of color.
- They have argued that menthol bans
would lead to racial profiling
by police and expand the illicit market for cigarettes.
- [Narrator] In a statement to The Wall Street Journal,
Reynolds said, "It's important to note
that we do not make contributions conditional
upon organizations maintaining a particular position."
The Biden administration has said
that enforcement of a ban
would target manufacturers and sellers.
- This is not about going
after individuals smoking menthol cigarettes.
This is about manufacturers
and people who are selling them.
- [Narrator] Tobacco companies
could lose significant profits if the ban is enforced.
- They already have been grappling
with declining smoking rates in the US
and they are racing to develop
and market alternative products,
like e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches,
lozenges, and other alternatives
in the hopes that smokers will switch over to those.
- [Narrator] Even as smoking declines,
menthols remain a huge part of the cigarette market.
They account for about 1/3 of all cigarettes sold in the US.
British American Tobacco, which makes Reynolds American,
and Altria, which makes Marlboro
are the top menthol makers in the US.
Menthol makes up roughly 30%
of British American Tobacco's global profits.
Altria said in a statement
that it believes harm reduction, not prohibition,
is the better path forward.
Reynolds and Altria have hinted that they may sue
if the ban goes into effect.
- Litigation could tie this up for years.
So even if the FDA moved forward
and set an effective date of let's say 2024,
once that ban were implemented,
then the cigarette companies would likely sue
and hold it up further.
- [Narrator] The FDA will hear public comments
on its proposed rules
and will take time to review before finalizing the ban.