First appearance on Fox: A prominent civil rights leader has slammed the Biden administration’s proposed menthol cigarette ban, saying the White House has left the group off the agenda on issues related to Black people.
Dr. Charles Steele Jr., president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which Martin Luther King Jr. co-founded and served as its first president, has joined Fox News Digital and expressed concern about this issue in an interview. The Biden administration and other local and state leaders routinely ignore his group, including in discussions about the proposed menthol ban.
“How can any group of leaders, whether it’s the mayor, Congress, the president of the United States, talk about black people and poor people when we’re not included in the conversation in terms of the civil rights movement?” Is that so?” Steele asked Fox News Digital. “How can they bring about policies and mandates to ban menthol cigarettes?”
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Dr. Charles Steele Jr., president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is furious that the Biden administration is ignoring his group, including discussions on the proposed menthol ban. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
In April 2022, the Food and Drug Administration first issued a rule banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars to “prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers” and “to help adult smokers quit.” Proposed. The Biden administration later delayed the plan until March.
The proposed ban has sparked an avalanche of criticism, with many individuals and groups citing concerns such as worsening border issues and the proliferation of a criminal black market that could reach Mexican cartels and terrorist groups. They argue that this could have serious consequences.
“People have a choice,” Steele continued. “If you’re going to ban something, think about banning alcohol. [in the 1920s and early 1930s]. It will create criminals. There’s an underground economic base of criminals. ”
“I’m against people trying to tell us what’s best for African-Americans and the Black community. They don’t sit at the table and talk to us,” Steele said.
“We feel disrespected. We’re taken for granted because no one wants to include us. African Americans are no longer taken for granted.”
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Many organizations and individuals have expressed concerns about President Biden’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
After several delays, the Biden administration postponed the federal rule until March. The regulations were expected to be finalized in August, but the administration later announced it hoped to have them completed by January. However, they noted that legal challenges are likely to delay the ban’s entry into force for several years.
This was previously disclosed by three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. washington post The delay was due to pressure from lobbyists and critics who warned that the ban could anger Black smokers and hurt Biden’s prospects in 2024.
Mr. Steele’s group contends that minority policy has been hijacked by special interest groups like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which is heavily funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg reports that he has committed more than $1.5 billion to fight tobacco products since 2005.
In addition to Steele and the SCLC, other Black leaders have also expressed concerns about the proposed ban. The Rev. Al Sharpton said this action would have unintended consequences for the black community.
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The Rev. Al Sharpton said the ban would have unintended consequences for the black community. (Reuters/Michael A. McCoy)
“What we said was, ‘You all have to consider the unintended consequences.'” A police officer pulls a kid over and asks, “Where did you buy those cool cigarettes? Where did you get them?” Imagine saying that. ” told Politico last year.
“People are not going to stop smoking Newport and Cools just because there are rules,” Sharpton said. “They’re going to get it from people who go to the black market. So what’s going to happen? That’s all I’m asking.”
Groups are also attacking the Biden administration over how the proposed ban could hurt small businesses. The New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association launched a campaign urging opposition to the candidate, starting with ads around the city. new hampshire.
Conservative advocacy groups like Building Americas Future followed suit, making six-figure ad buys in several 2024 battleground states and congressional districts.
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Proponents of the ban, on the other hand, argue that a ban could reduce tobacco use and have positive health effects.
Harold Wimmer, CEO and chairman of the American Lung Association, previously said, “If the rule to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars is finalized, the FDA Center for Tobacco Products will be the first in its 14-year history to “This will be the most important action we have ever taken.” “The American Lung Association is eager to implement these life-saving rules and is calling on the White House to finalize these rules by the end of the year.”
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
