“NACCHO applauds today’s decision by the FDA to take action to prohibit menthol flavor in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars as a significant step forward to improve public health and save lives. ”
Washington, DC, April 29, 2021 – The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), on behalf of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, released the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman, MBA, regarding today’s announcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the agency will begin the regulatory process to prohibit menthol in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars.
“NACCHO applauds today’s decision by the FDA to take action to prohibit menthol flavor in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars as a significant step forward to improve public health and save lives.
“This move is critical to help current smokers quit and prevent children from becoming new ones. It is also a critical step in addressing health inequities in smoking-related diseases and deaths created by the disproportionate advertising and targeting of menthol products to Black Americans.
“At its core, menthol flavoring makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. That is why we have advocated for years to bring this policy change to fruition. Removing menthol products from the market would be an incredible step forward and will support the many efforts of local health departments across the country to keep their community members health and safe. We urge the Agency to move quickly toward that goal.”
For more information, please see NACCHO’s policy statements:
Please see NACCHO’s letters on flavored tobacco and vaping products:
- Joint Letter to FDA Urging the Prohibition of Menthol as Characterizing Flavor in Cigarettes (11/9/20)
- Letter to CDC Commenting on “Achieving Health Equity in the Advancement of Tobacco Control Practices to Prevent Initiation of Tobacco Use among Youth and Young Adults (3/23/20)
- Joint Statement to President Trump Supporting September Decision to Remove Flavored E-Cigarettes from the Market (12/2/19)
- Joint Letter to the President Supporting the Plan to Remove Flavored E-Cigarettes from the Marketplace (9/24/19)
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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.
