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 choose menthol cigarettes. When Congress passed the Tobacco Control Act in 2009, prohibiting most cigarettes with flavorings, it exempted menthol. Thankfully, the FDA announced on April 29, 2021, that it will remove menthol from cigarettes and all flavors from cigars and cigarillos, but that rule has yet to be finalized.
