Tobacco-Free Kids Welcomes FDA’s Submission of Proposed Rules to Ban Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars to OMB for Review
Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids welcomes the news that the Food and Drug Administration has sent their proposed rules to prohibit menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars to the Office of Management and Budget and urges OMB to expedite their review so that the FDA can finalize and implement the necessary regulations to turn this decision into life-saving action.
The Biden Administration deserves enormous credit for standing up to the tobacco industry and proposing this bold, lifesaving policy that will protect kids from tobacco addiction, advance health equity and save lives, especially among Black Americans. This proposed rule keeps the President’s promise to follow the science and put America’s kids, and racial and health equity, at the center of his agenda.
The Administration’s policy will end the industry’s predatory targeting of Black communities with menthol cigarettes – a form of institutional racism that has taken a devastating toll on Black lives and health, is a major cause of health disparities, and must be stopped once and for all.