FDA Announces Ban , on Menthol Cigarettes.
The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) announced that it was moving forward with the initial stages of the ban on Thursday.
While menthol cigarettes will likely continue to be on the market for at least two more years, experts are calling the decision a "historic, life-saving step.".
With these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, , Dr. Janet Woodcock, Acting FDA Commissioner, via NBC News.
And address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products, Dr. Janet Woodcock, Acting FDA Commissioner, via NBC News.
Many experts believe that banning menthol could prevent people from ever beginning to smoke.
Banning menthol cigarettes will most assuredly save lives, eliminate great suffering, and reduce health care costs, Dr. Richard Besser, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President, via NBC News.
The ban will not include menthol flavored e-cigrarettes
