The future of menthol cigarettes is still undecided. Photo credit: Officer, CC.
The delayed menthol ban has not gone away, according to Brian King, director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).
"I just want to start and reinforce that FDA has not abandoned the menthol product standard,” he said, addressing a House Energy and Commerce Committee during its “Evaluating FDA Human Foods and Tobacco Programs” hearing.
“It's a priority for us. We followed through rulemaking processes and it's presently with the White House and it continues to be a priority for us.”
During the hearing, lawmakers also voiced concerns that the agency hasn’t done enough to address the rise of unapproved e-cigarette imports, many featuring menthol and other flavors not yet cleared by regulators. Some also questioned the lengthy approval process for companies trying to legally market e-cigarettes, as well as the impact of enforcement actions on smaller businesses involved in sales of unapproved products.
"We're making a dent, we've done a lot of first-of-their-kind actions, but we need more resources and we need other agencies to step to the table as well,” responded King. “We are under-resourced given the magnitude of the situation and we also have to make sure that all the key players in this space are committed to making it a priority as well.’