'Serious racial justice implications': ACLU warns the Biden administration over a menthol cigarette ban

The Washington Post reported this morning that the Biden administration is expected to announce a ban on menthol and other flavored cigarettes:

Biden administration expected to announce a plan to ban menthol cigarettes https://t.co/PdDRDQrbfk

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 28, 2021

And there’s a chance they’ll mandate manufacturers reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels:

“The administration is still considering another long-sought goal of antismoking activists: requiring tobacco companies to lower the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels.”

Tobacco companies oppose making their products non-addictive. Imagine that.

— Paul Farhi (@farhip) April 28, 2021

There’s an April 29 deadline for the menthol ban decision:

Time is running out: The FDA faces an April 29 deadline to decide whether to allow menthol cigarettes to remain on the market.

To discourage children from starting smoking and to help adults quit, it should ban them https://t.co/NzW4CXKyQ1

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) April 28, 2021

You know, there *are* other things they could be focusing on right now:

Great to see them focusing on the important stuff. https://t.co/h8H5I23HKt

— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) April 28, 2021

And what could go wrong?

There is absolutely no way that this could go wrong. It's not like criminalization of certain substances for the sake of helping Black people has ever, ever caused more harm to these communit- https://t.co/yJzaPwo0hB

— Matthew Loftus (@matthew_loftus) April 28, 2021

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In this regard, the ACLU is warning that there are “serious racial justice implications” surrounding a ban:

New: @ACLU warns Biden admin a menthol cigarette ban will have “serious racial justice implications.” The letter cites Eric Garner, Michael Brown & George Floyd and says ban will “lead to unconstitutional policing” & ‘trigger criminal penalties.”
POTUS/FDA could decide by 4/29> pic.twitter.com/bq426szQZb

— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) April 27, 2021

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