Groups Angry With FDA Inaction on Regulation of Menthol Cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is facing yet another tobacco-related legal challenge from a group calling out the agency’s lack of a ban on menthol.

The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) and the Action on Smoking Health (ASH) filed a complaint in the United States District Court (Northern District of California – San Francisco Division) filed the complaint, calling out the FDA for its overall inaction in regards of regulating and banning menthol cigarettes. The two groups lay out their case by calling attention to 2009’s passing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products and prohibit all flavors in cigarettes–with the exception of tobacco and menthol. Congress, the groups go on to explain, recognized the potential health risks associated with menthol cigarettes. Tobacco companies were called out for their alleged targeting of African American smokers which led to high rates of menthol cigarette use among African Americans, especially younger ones.

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