Menthol Rule Expected ‘in Coming Months’

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will finalize its rules to prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars “in the coming months,” according to a spokesperson quoted by CBS News.

When the FDA in April 2022 announced that it was going to ban the flavor, it set a deadline of August 2023 to work out the details. However, the agency made no announcements last month.

While the number of people who smoke cigarettes in the U.S. has fallen to historical lows, the proportion of people who smoke menthols has been increasing, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Tobacco companies insist there are better ways to reduce the health impact of smoking than banning menthol in cigarettes. “Evidence from other markets including Canada and the EU where similar bans have been imposed, demonstrates little impact on overall cigarette consumption,” Luis Pinto, vice president of corporate communications and media relations at Reynolds American Inc., told CBS News in an e-mail.

Experts say that even when the FDA enacts a nationwide ban, it could be many years before it goes into place, as tobacco companies are likely to challenge the measure in court.