US proposes rules for banning menthol cigarettes

Context

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a proposal to ban menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars.

Menthol cigarettes are flavored with menthol, which triggers the cold-sensitive nerves in the skin.
Menthol has a cooling and anesthetic (or pain killing) effect which decreases the cough reflex and can soothe the dry throat feeling that many smokers have.
As a result, menthol smokers may inhale more deeply, hold the smoke in the lungs longer, and get more exposure to the dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Menthol cigarettes cause diseases including cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory diseases and multiple adverse reproductive outcomes.
Menthol products accounted for approximately one-fifth of the United States cigarette market in 2006.
About 85% of African Americans smokers prefer menthol cigarettes in comparison to 29% of white smokers.

Menthol is a chemical compound found naturally in peppermint and other similar plants.
Menthol can also be produced in a lab.
Even though many brands of cigarettes are marketed as “menthol cigarettes,” almost all cigarettes sold in the U.S. contain at least some natural or lab-created menthol.

Prevent children from smoking- The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit.
Health equity- The proposed rules are an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities.
Health effects- Menthol also interacts with nicotine in the brain to enhance nicotine’s addictive effects, while making it more difficult for people to quit smoking.
Research studies- Modeling studies have estimated a 15% reduction in smoking within 40 years if menthol cigarettes were banned.

The first country in the world to ban menthol cigarettes was Brazil, in 2012.
Canada banned these cigarettes in 2017, and the European Union in May 2020.
- Though the UK had left the EU by then, it too adopted the ban. Turkey, Moldova, and Ethiopia have also banned menthol cigarettes.
India has not banned the sale of menthol cigarettes.