4 weeks ago
The Biden management abruptly announced Friday that it will hold regulations banning menthol cigarettes amid wide guidance to nan proposal.
In a statement, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said his agency would not move to finalize nan regulations and pointed to guidance from civilian authorities activists. Since they were first projected by nan HHS' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nan regulations person sparked a contentious statement betwixt wellness advocates and civilian liberties and business groups.
"This norm has garnered historical attraction and nan nationalist remark play has yielded an immense magnitude of feedback, including from various elements of nan civilian authorities and criminal justness movement," Becerra said successful a statement. "It’s clear that location are still much conversations to have, and that will return importantly much time."
Initiated 2 years ago
The announcement comes precisely 2 years aft FDA initially projected nan regulations, paving nan measurement for an historical prohibition connected menthol cigarettes that nan management said would beryllium a "critical" portion of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative. FDA besides based on astatine nan clip that nan prohibition would broadly "reduce nan entreaty of cigarettes" and person important wellness impacts.
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The Department of Health and Human Services antecedently stated that nan prohibition connected menthol cigarettes would beryllium a "critical" portion of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative. (Getty Images)
FDA yet handed nan regulations disconnected to nan White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for last support months agone aft a lengthy nationalist remark period. However, officials dragged their feet successful moving guardant pinch nan regulations and missed aggregate self-imposed deadlines to finalize them, igniting concerns among wellness advocates that nan management whitethorn alteration course.
"Unfortunately, nan anticipation of this management making these rules a reality is shrinking pinch nan transition of time, and ACS CAN is calling connected nan management to not miss nan opportunity to make a historical summation successful nan conflict against cancer," American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network CEO Karen Knudsen said successful a connection connected Friday up of Becerra's announcement.
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‘Top priority’
OMB declined to remark and referred Fox News Digital backmost to Becerra's statement.
And an FDA spokesperson said nan agency remains committed to issuing baccy merchandise standards for menthol successful cigarettes and characterizing flavors successful cigars.
"As we’ve made clear, these merchandise standards stay astatine nan apical of our priorities," nan spokesperson said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies earlier nan Senate Finance Committee, March 22, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
During nan nationalist remark period, associations representing convenience stores, police, consumers and number groups warned nan management that a prohibition connected menthol cigarettes could foster an illicit marketplace for nan product, while punishing mini business owners and minorities who are nan largest consumers of nan product.
Groups representing minorities, for illustration nan National Organization of Black Law Enforcement and nan nonprofit National Action Network — nan second of which was founded by civilian authorities leader nan Rev. Al Sharpton — based on that banning menthol cigarettes while not restricting non-menthol cigarettes "puts a microscope connected number communities."
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White House meetings
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement, National Action Network, National Newspaper Publishers Association and civilian authorities lawyer Benjamin Crump met pinch Becerra, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and White House home argumentation advisor Neera Tanden to talk nan connection successful November, according to White House records.
The White House besides convened meetings pinch different stakeholders, including nan American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, nan American Lung Association, and nan National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).
Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network emerged arsenic a starring force of nan Biden administration's menthol cigaret ban. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
"The USHBC applauds President Biden for his activity successful delaying nan menthol ban, recognizing nan unintended consequences it would person had connected convenience shop income nationwide and nan livelihoods of complete 600,000 workers," Javier Palomarez, nan president and CEO of nan U.S. Hispanic Business Council, told Fox News Digital successful a statement.
"Implementing a prohibition would person not only been ineffective but would besides consequence disproportionately criminalizing group of color, nan very communities wherever menthol cigarettes are consumed," Palomarez added. "We are delighted that nan President has heard our concerns and we connection ourselves up arsenic a assets to create a broad attack to nationalist health."
Dollars and cents
According to NACS, nan norm would person led to a simplification of $72,285 a twelvemonth successful non-tobacco sundry income and $160,107 a twelvemonth successful baccy merchandise income for nan typical convenience shop nationwide. The statement projected that nan convenience shop manufacture could person collectively mislaid $2.16 cardinal successful income arsenic a consequence of nan regulations.
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In addition, authorities watchdog group Protect nan Public's Trust (PPT) said nan administration's actions Friday confirmed its concerns it expressed past week erstwhile it sued HHS for withholding documents related to nan regulations.
"This announcement appears to corroborate nan ground for our suit a fewer weeks agone connected nan projected menthol cigaret ban. Public wellness authorities pursuing nan polling alternatively than nan subject is not a bully look. It's besides a awesome logic why spot successful our nationalist wellness officials is astatine an all-time low," PPT Director Michael Chamberlain said. "This only heightens nan request for transparency into what's really driving decisions astatine nan FDA."
Thomas Catenacci is simply a authorities writer for Fox News Digital.
