The Food and Drug Administration is poised to crack down on tobacco products, starting with a potential ban on menthol cigarettes next week.

The FDA’s policy decision on menthol cigarettes is a mandatory response to a June 2020 lawsuit brought by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, which argued that the FDA has neglected to regulate menthol cigarettes in the same way it does nonflavored cigarettes since 2009. The public health organization compelled the agency to respond to a citizens’ petition calling for the product’s removal from the market. It remains unclear whether it will result in a total ban on menthol cigarettes.