A big win for tobacco prevention and control!
Today the FDA took a monumental step toward saving lives and reducing disparate health outcomes from tobacco use by announcing the ban of menthol cigarettes.
Tobacco Prevention and Control advocates around the county have impatiently awaited this response from FDA after a Citizen Petition was submitted to the administration in 2013 by 19 public health organizations. The long-overdue response was in no doubt hurried by a June 2020 lawsuit filed by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the National Medical Association (NMA). The suit was filed on the grounds that the FDA’s failure to respond to the 2013 citizen petition and take action on menthol cigarettes constituted “unreasonable delay” in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act
 
View responses from Tobacco Prevention and Control Advocates below.
Statement from Action on Smoking and Health

While we are certain that tobacco companies will attempt to insert themselves into the rulemaking process and attempt to muddy the facts around the harms of menthol, we are confident that the public health and research community will stand strong....

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ash.org
Statement from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

While the FDA said it would issue proposed rules within the next year, we urge the FDA to expedite this time frame and move swiftly to propose, finalize and implement the necessary regulations to turn this decision into life-saving action....

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www.tobaccofreekids.org
Statement from the Truth Initiative ®

Time is of the essence in advancing this proposed ban and all efforts must be made to stop the tobacco industry from obstructing this life-saving policy from moving forward quickly...

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truthinitiative.org
FDA Commits to Evidence-Based Actions Aimed at Saving...

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is committing to advancing two tobacco product standards to significantly reduce disease and death from using combusted tobacco products, the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

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www.fda.gov
Statement by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra

This science-based decision reflects the Biden Administration’s commitment to improve the health of all Americans and to tackle health disparities in our most marginalized communities. Tobacco-related death and disease must become a part of America’s past...

www.hhs.gov
FDA Response to Menthol Citizen Petition

Find the full 15-page response to the Citizen Petition, issued by FDA and signed by May D. Nelson Director, Office of Regulations Center at FDA.




www.fda.gov