MENTHOL AND OTHER FLAVORED PRODUCTS

Menthol and other flavors have been used by commercial tobacco manufacturers to target vulnerable populations for decades. Those flavors, particularly menthol, make it easier to start using commercial tobacco and harder to quit. Almost 9 out of 10 African Americans who smoke use menthol cigarettes. When Congress passed the Tobacco Control Act in 2009, prohibiting most cigarettes with flavorings, it exempted menthol. Though the FDA announced its intention to remove menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars and cigarillos in April 2021, the federal government then back tracked and withdrew the rule from moving forward in 2025.