{"id":2213569,"date":"2024-04-05T05:35:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T09:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-delays-menthol-ban-amid-2024-concerns-over-black-support\/"},"modified":"2024-04-05T05:35:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T09:35:30","slug":"biden-delays-menthol-ban-amid-2024-concerns-over-black-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-delays-menthol-ban-amid-2024-concerns-over-black-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden postpones menthol ban due to worries about Black community support for 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-delays-menthol-ban-amid-2024-concerns-over-black-support%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2213569&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, which President Joe Biden may postpone until after the 2024 election to \u200bavoid\u2064 a potential loss \u200cof support within the black community, has faced delays\u200c in \u200dfinalization by the \u2062FDA. Despite advocacy for the\u200d ban to \u200csave\u200c lives\u200b and address racial\u200d targeting by the tobacco industry, opposition based on racial\u2063 and enforcement \u2063concerns remains\u2062 prevalent. \u2063Biden&#8217;s decision is influenced by his approaching reelection\u200b and the impact on his support from black voters.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A two-year-old proposal to ban menthol cigarettes may be delayed until <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"after the election\">after the 2024 election<\/a> as President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"after the election\">Joe Biden<\/a> weighs a move that could risk eroding his support within the black community.<\/p>\n<p>The Food and Drug Administration first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2619629\/fda-proposes-ban-on-menthol-cigarettes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"proposed\">proposed<\/a> banning menthols and flavored cigars in April 2022, but has since missed two deadlines for finalizing the rule, the second of which expired at the end of March. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FDA remains committed to issuing the tobacco product standards for menthol in cigarettes and characterizing flavors in cigars as expeditiously as possible,\u201d the agency said in a statement, noting that the process is in its final stage. \u201cAs we\u2019ve made clear, these product standards remain at the top of our priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But some observers say other priorities are behind the delay, namely the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2858003\/biden-under-pressure-to-stick-with-menthol-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"lack of support\">lack of support<\/a> for the idea as the election sharpens into view. <\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s menthol ban has received praise from public health advocates who say it can save hundreds of thousands of lives. The tobacco industry is also accused of disproportionately targeting the black community with its marketing of menthol cigarettes.<\/p>\n<p>But the issue has divided black community leaders and drawn opposition from law enforcement groups. <\/p>\n<p>The Rev. Al Sharpton has come out against the ban, saying it will give police more reason to target black people, though the ban\u2019s advocates point out that he has accepted donations from industry groups. <\/p>\n<p>Gwen Carr, an activist and the mother of Eric Garner, says the ban is inconsistent and racially inequitable. About 81% of black adult smokers used menthol cigarettes in 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/tobacco\/basic_information\/menthol\/related-health-disparities.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according to<\/a> the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compared to 34% of white adult smokers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMenthol has not killed anyone; it\u2019s nicotine,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/619371\/eric-garners-mother-warns-of-fda-proposed-menthol-ban-dont-make-it-a-racist-thing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said last year\">said last year<\/a>. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to ban smoking, don\u2019t make it a racist thing. Ban it all or ban none.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Garner was killed in Staten Island in 2014 after New York City police officers attempted to stop him from selling single cigarettes, or \u201cloosies,\u201d on the black market and an officer put Garner in a chokehold. Police groups say the ban will create underground demand that they will be tasked with enforcing. <\/p>\n<p>With Biden\u2019s reelection looming in November and his support among black voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2946165\/trump-biden-2024-black-voters-democrats-republicans-polls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"in danger\">in danger<\/a>, Democratic strategist TJ Rooney argues the president is right to put off the ban until next year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople of all race, creeds, and colors know the dangers of smoking,\u201d he said. \u201cMy hope is that the big thinkers are equally concerned with explaining the broader picture of what\u2019s at stake in this election. This is a great issue for 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Republican strategist Doug Heye agreed, though he also doubts the issue would carry much weight in boosting Republican support. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBiden definitely doesn\u2019t want to touch this before the election,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re a Republican, there are a lot more salient issues to voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A poll released when the ban was first proposed found that between 50% and 52% of voters in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/295396\/biden-menthol-ban-burns-swing-state-voters-poll-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"three swing states\">three swing states<\/a> oppose it, while only between 28% and 31% are in support. Previous attempts by the government to ban menthol cigarettes, in 2013 and 2018, were unsuccessful. <\/p>\n<p>The White House did not comment on the situation, noting that the rulemaking process is ongoing. The Biden and Trump campaigns did not respond to questions from the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Even if delaying the ban works out politically, its backers may be running out of patience. Anti-smoking groups filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/menthol-cigarettes-ban-fda-lawsuit-biden-f1397c032b637c6c2ba44a63b267ea21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"lawsuit\">lawsuit<\/a> Tuesday trying to force the government\u2019s hand regardless of the political consequences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of defendants\u2019 inaction, tobacco companies have continued to use menthol cigarettes to target youth, women, and the Black community,\u201d the complaint reads, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/menthol-cigarettes-ban-fda-lawsuit-biden-f1397c032b637c6c2ba44a63b267ea21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"per\">per<\/a> the <em>Associated Press<\/em>, \u201call to the detriment of public health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Biden may delay the proposed menthol cigarette ban until post-2024 election to assess the potential impact on his support in the black community. Initially suggested in April 2022 by the FDA, the ban on menthols and flavored cigars has seen two missed finalization deadlines<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2213570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP332527173756-1024x590.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2213569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP332527173756-1024x590.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2213569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2213570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2213569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2213569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2213569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}