The first week of Donald Trump's second term was so full of executive orders that it was hard to keep track of what was changing. With so many headline-making declarations—both good and bad—it was easy to miss one stellar piece of policy pushed through: the withdrawal of the Food and Drug Administration's proposal to ban menthol tobacco and nicotine products nationwide.
In 2022, as part of the Biden administration's attack on tobacco and nicotine use, the FDA introduced a proposed rule to ban the sale and purchase of menthol-flavored tobacco and nicotine products. But the administration quickly backed off its public endorsement of the prohibition after realizing how unpopular the proposed bans were with voters. It never took the steps needed to withdraw the proposed rules, however. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' disappointing move here was inconsistent with their public calls to end the war on drugs.
The previous administration said it was targeting menthol products in particular because they are often used by marginalized communities, most notably by black adults. The administration argued that access to these substances led to "health disparities [among] communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals."
