The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is suggesting a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
The federal agency said in a statement Thursday that the proposed new product standards are “based on clear science” and that they will “save lives,” adding that the new rules would not be enforced on individual menthol smokers, but only on manufacturers and distributors.
The new rules would not apply to flavored tobacco.
Studies have estimated a 15 percent reduction in smoking and a 324,000 to 654,000 reduction in smoking-related deaths if menthol cigarettes were no longer available in the United States, the statement says.
The FDA says in its statement the minty taste and aroma of menthol cigarettes makes them more appealing to youth and more addictive.
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