FDA Aims to Ban Menthol in Cigarettes

The FDA has formally proposed a ban on menthol flavoring in cigarettes. If successful, 324,000 to 654,000 smoking-related deaths in the United States could be avoided over the next 40 years—a turning point for the Biden administration's rekindled Cancer Moonshot program, which aims to lower cancer deaths nationwide by at least 50% in the next 25 years.

“The Tobacco Control Act that Congress passed in 2009 didn't immediately end the sale of menthol cigarettes,” explains Erika Sward, an advocate for the American Lung Association. Tobacco companies “worked hard to gin up controversy,” so much so that the FDA's two previous efforts seeking public input on taking menthol off the market were unsuccessful.

The agency's “goal is to make cigarettes as unappealing as possible,” says Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, deputy director for clinical affairs at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, CT, and chair of the American Association for Cancer Research's Science Policy and Government Affairs Committee. Otherwise, menthol, although not addictive itself, “has this minty, cooling flavor in the throat that makes it easier to ingest smoke,” amplifying nicotine's effects by making the latter's harsh sensation tolerable. Without it, studies show more adults who smoke will attempt to quit, and fewer children and young adults will start.

If enacted, there are concerns about this ban's potentially disproportionate impact given that “more than 80% of Black Americans who smoke, smoke menthol cigarettes,” says Sward. “Tobacco companies have used powerful [menthol] marketing targeted at Black communities, especially over the last decade,” she explains. That said, she expects the long-term ramifications will be positive. “When the companies no longer have this long-standing hook into the community, we'll see lives saved as a result.”

“This is in no way meant to single any group out,” Herbst adds. “It's meant to help all groups. The goal is to make smoking less attractive to kids, teens, and people who turn to smoking to alleviate stress.”

The FDA has also proposed banning all flavors, including menthol, in non–tobacco flavored cigars.

The organization will be taking public comments regarding both proposals until July 5, 2022. Sward encourages the cancer community to get involved.

“It's of utmost importance that oncologists and cancer researchers submit comments and engage in FDA's process,” she says. The more participants who weigh in on why these products should be removed from the marketplace, “the better off we are.” –Natalie DiDomenico

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