Former US Housing Secretary accuses Biden administration: delaying menthol ban to court Black voters

  Former U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson criticized the Biden administration for delaying the menthol cigarette ban to appease Black voters, sparking controversy.<\/p>

According to Newsmax reported this Thursday, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson pointed out that the Biden administration's reason for delaying its menthol cigarette ban was to cater to Black voters.<\/p>

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In an interview on the National Report program, the former Secretary delved into the White House officials' decision last week to postpone the comprehensive plan by U.S. health regulators to ban menthol cigarettes.<\/p>

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Regarding this administrative decision, Carson was asked whether it satisfied civil rights organizations opposing the ban, which argued that the ban would unfairly target Black communities.<\/p>

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“It’s hard to find a good public health reason to delay such a ban,” Carson told the host, “when you consider that 85% of Black adult smokers are menthol smokers, that’s a huge number.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>

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He added, “NIH (National Institutes of Health) predicts that if the menthol cigarette ban is implemented, it could save a million lives.”<\/p>

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Therefore, he stated that the Biden administration has no other compelling reason not to implement this ban.<\/p>