White House delays menthol cigarette ban, alarming anti-smoking advocates

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is pushing back a plan to ban menthol cigarettes, an unexpected delay that quickly sparked criticism from anti-smoking groups. Biden administration officials indicated Wednesday they will continue reviewing the plan into next year, targeting March for publication. The proposed ban from the Food and Drug Administration has been under White House review since October. Anti-smoking groups widely expected the rule to appear by early next month. The FDA has been studying the menthol issue for years and estimates banning the flavor could prevent over 300,000 smoking deaths over several decades. The agency’s previous efforts to ban the flavor have been derailed by industry pushback and competing political priorities.