In yet another example of governmental bodies attempting to babysit the American people, the FDA is set to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
There is apparently an epidemic of teen smokers, and in response, the FDA is citing many instances of flavored tobacco products luring innocent children into becoming lifelong addicts. As a menthol cigarette smoker who champions freedom of choice every chance he gets, this kind of policy change is simply unacceptable, and is quite frankly baffling.
Even if there was some sort of cigarette or cigar epidemic, which I do not see any evidence of, it should not be the FDA’s responsibility to tell us as a country what we can or cannot do. The idea that tobacco use is horrible for one’s health is not in question. I can attest to that. However, adults still and always should have the right to make decisions with their own body, even if that decision is not beneficial.
I will begin with the facts. According to the CDC, both middle- and high-school students decreased cigarette use by around two and eight percent, respectively, from 2011-2017, with cigars having an almost identical current usage rate for the same groups. This decrease is made up for, and then some, by the significant increase in e-cigarette use among those same demographics in the same time frame, around 2.5 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
It is clear young people are moving away from traditional forms of tobacco. While I by no means believe vapes should be targeted either, they are the cause of the “epidemic,” not menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars. In addition, why can we not better enforce the I.D. policy we already have in place? It is not as if it is legal for underage people to purchase these products, and if the relevant organizations are unable to deal with fake I.D.s or apathetic store clerks, it is a reflection on their own failings.
I have no idea why grown adults have to pay the price for something that should not be difficult to curtail, if it was even as big of an issue as they are making it in the first place. 
The mastermind behind this alleged solution, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, is taking an extremely aggressive stance that honestly makes me wonder what his reasons really are. In his press release announcing the ban, he repeatedly talks personally and seems to indicate the decision to ban these products was sparked from issues he dealt with in his own life.
He also makes a vague threat, stating, “This policy framework is an important step toward reversing the epidemic that is underway and that is confirmed by the data from the NYTS. I could take more aggressive steps. I could propose eliminating any application enforcement discretion to any currently marketed ENDS product, which would result in the removal of ALL such products from the marketplace.”
It comes off, to me, like he is already planning to set in motion the removal of tobacco products in general. He also cites the data “confirming” the epidemic, whereas my research has shown quite the opposite in relation to the products he is currently targeting. 
In short, the measures being taken by the FDA are astonishingly egregious in an era of historic lows for traditional tobacco use. Big Tobacco will undoubtedly throw millions of dollars at the problem and make the FDA’s job much harder and slow down the policy taking effect, but the FDA seems to have a good chance to pull it out.
Whether you have a personal investment in the issue like I do or not, a government organization taking away a choice instead of opting for the harder, and more expensive, route of better enforcing I.D. checks should worry you.
I care about the youth of our country too, and I would certainly not want them to become nicotine addicts, but there has to be another way. I will not give up any freedom without a good reason, and you should not do so either.