MOSCOW, April 3 Human rights groups in the US filed a lawsuit on American authorities postponing the ban on menthol cigarettes due to the elections in 2024, CNN reports.
Earlier, the Washington Post, citing representatives of the administration of US President Joe Biden, wrote that the administration would postpone the ban on menthol cigarettes, which could affect Biden's re-election as head of state in 2024.
«A coalition of civil rights and health organizations said Tuesday they are suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over its delay in taking action to ban menthol cigarettes,» it said. in the message.
According to the TV channel, a 2020 study showed that more than 83% of black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes, while only about 30% of white smokers choose them.
The Associated Press reports that the lawsuit comes as a result of growing concerns that legislation banning menthol cigarettes could be derailed by the upcoming US presidential election. As noted, some White House officials believe that this ban could reduce the number of Biden voters among the black population, who consume menthol cigarettes in large quantities.
It is noted that on Tuesday a White House spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit, but the American government will have about two months to respond.
It was previously reported that the law banning menthol cigarettes has caused heated discussions ahead of the presidential elections in 2024. Democrats have expressed concerns that Biden's faltering popularity could lead to low turnout among black voters, «whose political support brought him to the White House.»
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018-2019, approximately 70% of African Americans aged 18 to 34 preferred menthol cigarettes. As the Washington Post noted, some leading civil rights and health groups say the tobacco industry has a long history of aggressive marketing to blacks.
The presidential elections in the United States will be held on November 5, 2024. The leading candidates are Donald Trump, who was found guilty of spending a decade inflating the value of assets between $812 million and $2.2 billion to obtain loans to build a golf resort in Miami, a hotel in Washington, D.C. hotel in Chicago, and Joe Biden is the oldest US president, who will be 82 years old when he takes office if he wins the election.