(Bloomberg) — A proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars was withdrawn by the Trump administration, a blow to public health advocates who attribute thousands of premature deaths to the additive.
The draft ruling to ban menthol was listed as “withdrawn” in a regulatory docket earlier this week. Shares of cigarette makers gained on the news Friday, with Altria Group Inc. rising as much as 1.9% in New York. In London, British American Tobacco Plc rose 0.4%, while Imperial Brands Plc was little changed.
The proposal took on political heft during the 2024 election, as the Biden administration delayed issuing a final rule that would have added menthol to the 2009 list that banned all other flavorings in cigarettes.
Black Americans, a key voting block, smoke disproportionately more menthol cigarettes than other racial and ethnic groups, and many groups lobbied against the ban.
While the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal was intended to improve the health of Americans, it also would have hampered individual purchasing decisions. Critics said the latest move is a setback after years of gains from anti-tobacco efforts.
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“Withdrawing the FDA proposed rule to ban menthol will have truly dire consequences for Americans,” said Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, managing attorney at Action on Smoking and Health. “If the Trump Administration wants to make America healthy again, they must allow the FDA to ban menthol.”
Tobacco use kills people, and research shows that 1.3 million American smokers are likely to quit if the US bans menthol in tobacco products, Romeo-Stuppy said.
“Any policy that helps millions of Americans quit smoking would be a monumental success,” she said.
Others applauded the withdrawal of what they called “overreaching regulations,” pointing out that the majority of 250,000 comments submitted to the FDA during a public comment period opposed the measure.