FDA Proposed Ban on Menthol Cigarettes

Menthol cigarettes have been historically heavily marketed toward Black Americans. And that's had a strong enough impact that when the Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes last week, the agency specifically noted that the move would save the lives of 92,000 to 238,000 African Americans. According to a 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 85% of Black smokers preferred menthol cigarettes. The FDA had banned flavored cigarettes from being manufactured or sold in 2009. But menthol cigarettes slipped by because of a split in the Black Congressional Caucus. Read more from NPR here.