Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback

President Joe Biden’s administration is again delaying a sweeping plan to ban menthol cigarettes. Anti-smoking advocates are upset about the delay, but the decision could avoid angering Black voters ahead of November elections. Biden’s top health official said Friday the administration would take more time to consider feedback on the ban, including from civil rights leaders. The announcement is another setback for the health officials at the Food and Drug Administration. They drafted the ban and predicted it would prevent hundreds of thousands of smoking-related deaths. But White House officials have delayed finalizing the ban several times.