FDA proposes rule to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday announced its proposed rule on product standards to ban menthol flavoring in cigarettes and non-tobacco flavors in cigars.

The Biden administration believes this action has the potential to "significantly reduce disease and death" from smoking by making it less likely that young people will want to experiment with smoking, which is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. President Biden first announced the proposed ban a year ago.

"The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.