
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, the FDA complied with a federal court order requiring the agency to publish a response to a 2013 citizens’ petition regarding a prohibition on flavors added to combustible tobacco cigarettes and cigars. Specifically, the FDA is focusing on menthol, “the last allowable flavor in cigarettes.” The agency is committing to propose a new product standard banning the use of menthol and other characterizing flavors in combustible tobacco products within one year.
The April announcement from the FDA does not mention the agency’s 2017 commitment to realign its approach to tobacco regulation by focusing on nicotine and investigating the role that harm reduction can play in reducing the early death and disease attributed to smoking. Specifically, the July 2017 announcement noted that outcomes associated with stricter regulations of the manufacture and sale of combustible products can be improved (or even accelerated) if people who smoke are able to switch to safer alternatives.
The availability of vapor products, smokeless tobacco, and other new smoke-free nicotine products is vital to helping people completely switch to low-risk forms of nicotine delivery. It is also critical that these low-risk alternatives to smoking are available in interesting and enjoyable flavors – other than tobacco.