In the coming weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to publish a rule that would ban menthol cigarettes. This regulation would arrive amidst widespread fear that menthol prohibition will replicate many of the mistakes made in the government’s failed wars on drugs and alcohol. The FDA and policymakers in favor of banning menthol cigarettes have tried to stress that the ban should not lead to the agency itself breaking down doors or hassling menthol smokers on the street. However, prohibitions on drugs and alcohol have previously shown how bans incentivize counterproductive law enforcement actions and lead
