FDA to finalize ban on menthol cigarettes in coming months

(CNN) - The Food and Drug Administration said it still plans to finalize a ban on menthol cigarettes, but the agency is running behind schedule.

In April 2022, when the FDA initially announced it was going to ban the popular flavor, it set a deadline of August 2023 to work out the details.

That deadline has come and gone, but it is still listed online.

However, a spokesperson said the FDA will instead complete work on the rule “in the coming months.”

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter urging the FDA to meet its August deadline on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Flavors in cigarettes were banned in 2009, but after lobbying pressure from the industry, menthol was left out of the ban.

Scientists have long understood that flavor can make cigarettes more addictive than tobacco-flavored ones.

The flavor is also attractive to more new users and has been heavily marketed to minority communities.