ATS Joins Amicus Brief to Hold FDA Accountable for Action on Menthol Cigarettes
Last week, the ATS joined several other public health and medical organizations in an amicus brief opposing the FDA’s request to dismiss a court action compelling the agency to take action to remove menthol cigarettes from the U.S. market. In response to a lawsuit brought by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership for the agency’s failure to institute a ban, the FDA publicly announced that it would initiate a rule-making in 2022 to ban menthol cigarettes. The FDA is now petitioning the court to have the lawsuit dropped, claiming the agency’s public commitment to issuing a rule in 2022 should be sufficient. The ATS and fellow amicus filers disagree and believe that the threat of court action is essential to forcing the FDA to issue tobacco control policy in a timely fashion.
