Biden Administration Delays Plan to Ban Menthol Cigarettes (1)

President Joe Biden’s administration is delaying action on a proposed rule to ban menthol cigarettes, which some activists have said would unfairly target Black smokers.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday his agency continues to weigh “an immense amount of feedback,” including from civil rights activists and criminal justice reform advocates. “It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have and that will take significantly more time,” Becerra said in a statement.

Biden faces reelection in November, and he could lose support from some Black voters if he moved to ban menthol products. Biden’s advisers ...