Ahead Of The US Election, Joe Biden Postpones Plans To Ban Mentol Cigarettes

US President Joe Biden/PHOTO via Instagram @potus

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden's administration has postponed its plans to ban menthol cigarettes, a move that reflects the potential for political reactions from black voters in the United States (US) election year.

For decades, menthol cigarettes have been targeted by anti-smoking groups arguing the cigarette contributes to the disproportionate health burden on the black community and plays a role in luring the younger generation to smoke.

About 81 percent of black adults smoke a menthol type, compared to 34 percent of white adults, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

US Health Minister Xavier Becerra said the proposed ban received a very large response, including from civil rights movements and criminal justices.

"It's clear that there are still more talks to be done, and it will take a long time," he said in a statement that appeared to suggest the negotiations would not be completed before the presidential election in November 2024.

Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, expressed disappointment over the delay.

The full two years after issuing a regulatory proposal backed by extensive scientific evidence and more than a decade since the FDA began examining menthol cigarettes the government has failed to take firm action to remove these deadly and addictive products from the market.

"We firmly believe there is a more effective way to permanently divert adult smokers from smoking," said spokesman Reynolds American, a British American Tobacco subsidiary.