Biden SCRAPS plan to ban menthol cigarettes after political pressure that it ... trends now
The White House is scrapping a long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes to avoid angering black voters months before the 2024 election.
After dragging the process out for months, the administration is expected to announce the reversal on Friday, sources disclosed to the Wall Street Journal.
Experts previously told DailyMail.com that the ban would alienate black voters who have been drifting away from the president in polling and also surge crime nationwide.
A recent poll indicated that black Americans are not feeling very enthusiastic about Biden, and 40 percent don't plan to vote in the 2024 election.
The administration killing its proposed menthol ban may be an appeal to Biden's supporters to stay on the bandwagon a little over six months until election day.
Menthol cigarettes account for nearly one-third of the industry's market share in the U.S., and are incredibly popular with smokers.
Experts previously told DailyMail.com that the ban would alienate the black vote against President Biden and surge crime nationwide
In 2022 the FDA announced it was working to create new standards for tobacco products that would ban the use of menthol flavoring. Nearly two years later, the ban is still not enacted and special interest groups for and against the ban have been pressuring the White House to get the job done
Protestors marched on Black Lives Matter Plaza in January advocating for a menthol ban
They have also long been particularly popular with black smokers, with 81 percent of them opting for the menthol varieties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The minty flavoring that is added to these products typically appeals to young, first-time smokers, making them dangerous in the eyes of the White House, medical associations and civil rights groups.
According to findings from a survey by Nuestro PAC, black and Latino voters were also worried that the proposed ban would 'push the product into the illegal black market' and increase crime.
Eighty percent of black and Latinos said they agreed that the government should 'fully explore concerns'
