Weeks after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review, the American Heart Association, the world's leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health, and 79 other national public health groups are voicing their full support for strong final rules.
The groups, which represent patients, health care providers, health systems and advocates nationwide, expressed their support in a full-page Washington Post advertisement on Sunday, Nov. 5.
"The answer is clear," the ad reads. "Saving lives starts by ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars. Smoking kills nearly half a million people in the United States each year, and these addictive, deadly products are a big part of the problem. The FDA and White House have our full support to release lifesaving rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars."
"The FDA issued a bold proposal in 2022 to prohibit tobacco companies from selling menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars," said Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Association. "As the White House gives final review to the FDA rules, the American Heart Association and other leading national public health groups are sending a clear message to the administration to issue strong final rules by the end of the year and save lives."
A study last year by Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising, a research unit of Stanford Medicine, and the American Heart Association showed how the tobacco industry continues its decades-long targeting of Black communities, women and youth with menthol products. Like menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars make it easier to start smoking, increase the number of youth and adults who smoke regularly and make it harder to quit.
Prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars would mark a historic turning point in the decades-long battle against tobacco use and the epidemic of tobacco-related disease. The organizations listed below, along with grassroots advocates across the country, are urging the administration to finalize and issue strong regulations without delay.
Signing organizations:
Academy of General Dentistry
Action on Smoking and Health
African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council
Allergy & Asthma Network
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Cancer Research
American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
American Association for Respiratory Care
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College Health Association
American College of Cardiology
American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST)
American College of Physicians
American College of Preventive Medicine
American Dental Association
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
American Medical Association
American Medical Women's Association
American Pharmacists Association
American Public Health Association
American Society of Addiction Medicine
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
American Thoracic Society
Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership
Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence
Association of Black Cardiologists
Association of Black Women Physicians
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Big Cities Health Coalition
Breathe America
Breathe Southern California
CADCA
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund
CATCH Global Foundation
Catholic Health Association
Center for Black Health & Equity, The
Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS
COPD Foundation
Emphysema Foundation of America
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Inc.
First Focus on Children
For Future Lungs
Healthy Americas Foundation
IntelliQuit
March of Dimes
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Nurses
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of Social Workers
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Hispanic Medical Association
National LGBT Cancer Network
National Network of Public Health Institutes
North American Quitline Consortium
Oncology Nursing Society
Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation/Tobacco 21
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
Public Health Law Center
Public Health Solutions
Respiratory Health Association
Save A Girl Save A World
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, The
Society for Public Health Education
Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network
Trust for America's Health
Truth Initiative
University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention
WomenHeart
