Reuters
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the decision, said it came after the White House weighed the potential public-health benefits of banning the cigarettes against the political risk of angering Black voters in an election year. For decades, menthol cigarettes have been in the crosshairs of anti-smoking groups who argue that they contribute to disproportionate health burdens on Black communities and play a role in luring young people into smoking. "This rule has garnered historic attention and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement," U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement on Friday.