Menthol-flavored smokes survive federal challenge

UNSPLASH

The Biden administration is delaying a ban on menthol cigarettes, which have been found to be more addictive than non-flavored product. The decision has an impact on North Carolina's economy, where menthol cigarette production is connected to 27,000 jobs.

There’s no dousing menthol-flavored smokes for now.

The federal government’s decision to delay a ban on menthol smokes is drawing praise from a North Carolina lawmaker who cites the economic cost to the state if prohibition becomes law. U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat whose district includes northeastern North Carolina, praised the Biden administration’s decision while urging the government to spare jobs connected to a military base in his district.

“It's great to hear that the Biden administration is paying attention to the voices of those who are familiar and would be most affected by a menthol ban,” Davis said in a statement. “They need to take the same exact approach when it comes to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. The decision to rip away 520 jobs by eliminating an F-15E squadron would be absolutely devastating for this economically distressed eastern North Carolina community and should be reconsidered immediately.”

Tobacco has historically been an economic and social engine in North Carolina, including 27,000 jobs directly related to menthol cigarette production according the John Durham & Associates, a New York-based economic analysis consultant. Public opinion, however, is aligned with anti-smoking sentiment.

A poll conducted earlier this year by the Washington, D.C.-based Mellman Group for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids showed 58% of voters favor a menthol ban compared to 29% who don’t. Among Black voters, 62% support a ban compared to 25% who don’t.

Prohibition foes contend the rule change would hurt President Joe Biden’s standing among Black voters, a core constituency for Democrats. The polling, however, suggests otherwise, with Biden leading presumptive Republican nominee 45% to 43% even if the federal government barred menthol-flavored smokes.

In November 2023, Davis, the vice ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee and North Carolina House colleague David Rouzer, a Republican, wrote the Biden administration requesting a reconsideration on a menthol ban due citing economic impact on economically distressed communities in mostly rural eastern North Carolina. In December, the administration delayed a decision until April, before announcing an indefinite delay last week.

“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,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time.”

The federal government has considered a menthol ban for more than a decade since scientific evidence found flavored cigarettes are more addictive. The tobacco industry has drawn criticism for decades of marketing menthol products to Black people, which results in disproportionate rates of health issues like heart disease, lung cancer and emphysema. Research shows that prohibiting menthol cigarettes will save up to 654,000 lives within 40 years, including an estimated 255,000 Black people.

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