The Biden administration's proposed menthol cigarette ban could turn into an issue during the 2024 elections, operatives have told Fox News Digital.
The Biden administration's proposed menthol cigarette ban could become a thorn in the president's side during the 2024 elections, political operatives planning to run ads attacking him have told Fox News Digital. The Food and Drug Administration initially proposed rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in April 2022 to 'prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers' and to 'help adult smokers quit.
Political ad-makers, meanwhile, will look to hit Biden over the issue during the 2024 elections. 'Criminalizing cigarettes as the Biden administration promotes heroin injection sites is bad policy and bad politics,' Brian Colas, a Republican operative and former campaign manager to Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, told Fox News Digital. 'Expect to see targeted campaign ads aimed at shop owners, law enforcement and those impacted by the pending ban.
We expect a two- to three-year cycle from the day the FDA passes any rule to the time such rule is finalized after the likely court challenges,' Jain Gaurav, an analyst for Barclays, told the Winston-Salem Journal. 'We don't expect a menthol cigarette ban from the FDA implemented at least until 2026.' The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.