The Food and Drug Administration proposed rules regarding menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in April 2022. Last month, the agency submitted its final menthol ban proposal to the White House.

NACS has expressed strong concern about the potential for these proposals in the past because of the likelihood that they would lead to increases in the illicit market for these products.

“History has proven that prohibition of a legal product that has an established user base doesn’t work and has negative consequences for our communities,” stated Anna Blom, NACS director of government relations. 

Ex-law enforcement officials have also warned about significant issues that can arise with the ban, reported Fox News Digital.

"This is essentially a prohibition, and we know what happens when you remove a current market," Jorge Colina, former City of Miami chief of police, told Fox News Digital. "That means organized crime and/or cartels move in."

Colina said that the mandate will “create a vacuum that is going to be ripe for the Chinese or the Mexicans or the cartels to move in and take advantage of what's going to be a multi-billion-dollar industry."

In addition, NACS believes the FDA has not taken into consideration how the banning of these products will place burdens on convenience store owners, who are already grappling with rising gas prices, a supply chain crisis, labor shortages, economic uncertainty and increasing crime in their communities.

Reach out to the White House today to ensure our industry, businesses and communities are protected from these menthol and flavor bans.

Use the NACS Grassroots portal to send a message voicing concerns for your business and the industry at large if the ban were to go into effect. The portal has a text box where you can send a personalized message to the White House, or you can send the prewritten message that NACS has provided.