Biden Never Finalized a Menthol Ban. What Will Trump Do?

Public health advocates are fighting the Biden administration in court next week.

 Ban On Menthol Cigarettes

Biden’s White House delayed finalizing a rule to ban the sale of menthols, calling the need for additional conversations around the policy. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via AP

The path forward to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes is narrowing.

The outgoing Biden administration has still not finalized the rule banning the sale of menthols, and public health advocates fear they will hit yet another dead end with Donald Trump’s administration.

Joe Biden missed a third self-imposed deadline in April last year to make the move, with the Department of Health and Human Services stating that it needed to have “more conversations” with stakeholders over “significantly more time” before instituting any such rule. Almost immediately after, public health organizations such as the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council united behind a legal fight with the White House.