I'm curious how the black community will respond. Menthols are an ingrained part of Black culture in America.

This BBC article talks about the controversy, particularly from the Black community's perspective: "Why the proposed US ban on menthol cigarettes is controversial" (2021) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56934957

"How Menthol Cigarettes Became Black Americans’ Preferred Smoke" (2021) https://slate.com/technology/2021/05/menthol-cigarette-ban-f...

"How the tobacco industry targeted Black Americans with menthol smokes" (2022) https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095291808/tobacco-industry-t...

^ That article talks about how flavored cigarettes were banned in 2008, except for Menthols. This other article from the time explicitly notes how legislators were fine with capitulating on Menthols as long as they got other cigarettes off the market. Which to me smacks of basically not caring what happens to Black smokers. "Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency" (2008) https://archive.ph/W3o4z

"The Menthol Movement: How Tobacco Became a Racial Justice Issue" (2022) https://www.communitysolutions.com/menthol-movement-tobacco-...

And: "How Big Tobacco used George Floyd and Eric Garner to stoke fear among Black smokers" https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-25/inside...

  Since last summer, the Los Angeles Times and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have tracked strategic efforts 
  across the country by Reynolds American to keep menthol cigarettes in the hands of smokers.

  The company has hired a team of Black lobbyists and consultants, including former congressman Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.),
  and sponsored the organization led by civil rights activist and MSNBC political show host the Rev. Al Sharpton. 
  Those figures have in turn stoked fears among Black communities about what the bans could mean.

  Reynolds American for years has enlisted prominent Black personalities in its lobbying efforts. 
  This investigation has uncovered new details about how individuals and organizations working on Reynolds’ behalf have 
  failed to properly declare their links to the company. Lobbyists for the company in Denver successfully killed a bill 
  that would have banned menthol cigarettes. And in Los Angeles, protesters were paid to attend a rally organized by 
  a group with close ties to the company.

So the "controversy" seems to be astroturfing by the cigarette industry. Never underestimate the tactics of an evil organization, I guess?