As federal officials finalise a long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes, dozens of interest groups have met with White House staff to try to influence the process that has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives while destroying billions in tobacco sales, The Associated Press reports.

Biden administration officials have heard from tobacco lobbyists, anti-smoking advocates, civil rights groups, small business owners and conservative think tanks. The lobbyists' push underscores the far-reaching implications of banning menthol, which accounts for more than a third of the US cigarette market.
The White House completed its review of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) proposal in late April after nearly 40 virtual meetings with outside groups, according to a government website. The FDA has committed to submitting a detailed proposal for phasing out the flavour by the end of the month, meaning an official announcement could come next week.
Meeting materials posted online show that almost all of the groups opposing the ban have financial ties to tobacco companies, including businesses that sell cigarettes and non-profit groups that receive donations for charitable causes, the report said.
Menthol is the only cigarette flavour that was not banned under the 2009 law that gave the FDA jurisdiction over tobacco products. Several attempts to eliminate menthol since then have failed due to industry opposition or competing political priorities.
Menthol's persistence angers health advocates because the ingredient's cooling effect has been shown to make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. The health consequences disproportionately affect black smokers, 85 per cent of whom smoke menthol. FDA officials estimate that a ban could prevent 630,000 smoking deaths over a 40-year period, more than a third among Black people.
Anti-tobacco groups are closely following the White House budget review after watching previous FDA tobacco proposals get shelved or diluted under previous administrations.
More than 100 cities and counties in the US have already restricted menthol products, with little evidence of a burgeoning illicit market.