Shortly after taking power in 2021, the Biden-Harris administration floated a proposal to ban menthol-flavored tobacco products, though that plan has been placed on hold -- likely for political purposes -- following significant pushback from the black community, where menthol cigarettes are exceedingly more popular than other non-menthol tobacco and nicotine products.

The unanswered question that looms now is whether Vice President Kamala Harris would push forward with a menthol ban if she were to win the presidency in November, or if Biden would sign off on a ban in the lame-duck period after the election, according to the Daily Caller.

If either Biden or Harris moved on a menthol ban, it would have a "devastating impact" on the economies of major tobacco-producing states, like North Carolina, that would vastly outweigh any political hit they would take from outraged black smokers or boost that may be received from anti-smoking crusaders.

Biden-Harris menthol ban on hold ... for now

CBS News reported last month that despite the delays and criticisms from both sides of the issue, the Food and Drug Administration insisted that it remained committed to the idea of banning menthol cigarettes, with one senior official telling Congress, "It's a priority for us. We followed through rulemaking processes and it's presently with the White House and it continues to be a priority for us."

The proposed ban, first floated in 2021 and finalized a year later, was set to go into effect in March, but has since been indefinitely delayed by the Biden-Harris White House, presumably to avoid any possible negative blowback from black voters who are deemed critical to Democrats' electoral success in November.

Indeed, some Republicans have seized on the issue to weaken support for Democrats among minority voters with ads that proclaim things like "Harris and DC Democrats are coming after your menthol cigarettes."

Perhaps predictably, both CBS and the Daily Caller noted that the Biden White House and Harris campaign have remained quiet about their plans with respect to a menthol ban.

Harris has shown support for other anti-smoking regulations in the past

Likewise, Roll Call reported last month that neither the Harris nor Trump campaigns have stated a position on a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and other menthol-flavored tobacco products, which are strongly pushed by anti-smoking activists and public health advocates but are considered "divisive" and politically dangerous among black and other minority communities, which disproportionately use menthol products more than others.

Though VP Harris has not stated recently where she stands on the proposed menthol ban, she has expressed a willingness in the past to regulate other tobacco products strictly.

That includes in 2013 and 2015 when, as California's attorney general, she supported efforts to crack down on e-cigarette sales and marketing, and as a U.S. senator in 2018, backed a proposal to ban all flavored tobacco products, including menthol.

Menthol tobacco ban would be hugely consequential

The Daily Caller reported that if Biden or Harris moved forward with the menthol cigarette ban, it would have a "devastating" economic impact on tobacco-producing states, with North Carolina being a prime example of the substantial hit to jobs, GDP, and tax revenues such regulation would have.

According to the John Locke Foundation, tobacco remains the biggest cash crop in the Tarheel State -- more than all other produce combined -- and collectively contributes around $50 billion in revenue, $32 billion in GDP, more than 100,000 jobs, and more than $10 billion in wage earnings, when factoring together farms, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, tax payments, and the spending of industry workers, among other things.

If menthol-flavored products were to be banned, even under overly optimistic predictions, the industry and state would stand to lose tens of billions in revenues and taxes, not to mention tens of thousands of jobs across the various sectors.

While non-smokers may not care because they inaccurately think it won't affect them, the proposed ban on menthol-flavored tobacco products is a big deal, and VP Harris should be compelled to let voters know where she stands on the consequential issue before they have cast their ballots.