The long-standing promise of a ban on menthol cigarettes, which has been years in the making, is unlikely to move forward before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. The FDA announced it would begin the process of banning menthol tobacco cigarettes in 2021. Since then, it has done all it is legally authorized to do to put the finalized rule to ban menthol in motion. But it’s politics, not public health, that is likely to keep menthol cigarettes on the market as Biden’s term ends. Murthy deferred questions about whether the Biden administration would push the ban through as one of its final acts.

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Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, —, ”, Avenel Joseph, Robert Wood Johnson, Trump, Vivek Murthy, ” Murthy, Avenel joseph, robert, johnson, ” Joseph, Murthy Organizations: and Drug Administration, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, FDA, Public, Biden OKs, Disease Control, White Locations: U.S, United States