Washington (April 28, 2022) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released the following statement after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released proposed rules banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

“For decades, the tobacco industry has heavily promoted menthol cigarettes, products that are more addictive, harder to quit, and often a gateway for young people to begin smoking,” said the Senators. “We’ve known about the dangers of menthol products for years, and we applaud the Biden administration and the FDA for finally moving to ban them from the market. FDA should work through the rulemaking process expeditiously to ensure that these menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars are off the shelves in order to help protect public health and help save lives.”

Senator Markey has been a leader in addressing the dangers of tobacco-use, particularly for youth. Last year, Senator Markey led a group of colleagues in calling on the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes and cigars, which followed up on a previous effort in 2018 to push FDA to ban these products. Senator Markey also led efforts to hold technology companies accountable for tobacco advertising aimed at young people on online platforms.

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