The so-called 'party of science' has decided to abandon its plan to save millions of lives (of mostly African American youth) by choosing not to ban Menthol cigarettes after all...
In October 2023, the FDA said it was looking to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars due to concerns these tobacco products are harming American youth.
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars due to concerns these tobacco products are harming American youth.
The agency estimated there were 18.5 million menthol cigarette smokers aged 12 and above in the United States in 2018, with “particularly high rates of use by youth, young adults, and African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups.”
Them in December 2023, after what some called a 'blacklash', White House officials were reportedly taking more time to review their sweeping ban plan, despite the science's awful warnings:
"The federal agency estimates a ban on the flavor additive could prevent 300,000 to 650,000 smoking deaths over several decades.
They claim most of the preventable deaths would be among minority groups and Americans of African descent, who disproportionately smoke menthol cigarettes."
And now, April 2024 (around six months before the election and with Biden's poll numbers in the proverbial toilet), The Wall Street Journal reports that the Biden administration is reversing course on its plan to ban menthol cigarettes, after the White House weighed the potential public-health benefits of banning minty smokes against the political risk of angering Black voters in an election year.
Some Black community leaders had fought the measure, saying a ban would expand the illicit market for cigarettes and lead police to racially profile Black smokers.
The American Civil Liberties Union and some members of the Congressional Black Caucus expressed similar concerns.
The administration is expected to announce its decision as soon as Friday afternoon, according to people familiar with the matter.
So, to sum up: The White House is willing to ignore the potential (science-driven data) death of 650,000 mostly African American voters to improve its chances in November?
This couldn't possibly have anything to so with the fact that minorities in America are starting to look for alternatives to the Democrats they have been indoctrinated to vote for all their lives... or the fact that swing-state polls shows black voters abandoning Biden in favor of Trump is huge numbers...
Gotcha, "science" indeed!
