One of the biggest policy threats keeping retailers up at night is the looming ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. In October, the Food and Drug Administration sent the final rules that would put these bans into effect to the White House for review, the last stop before new rules are implemented. It was expected that the administration would move swiftly to finalize the rules, but at the end of the year, the White House said it needed more time for review. Staunchly opposed to the bans, NACS has pushed the White House to stop the bans altogether, arguing that they would lead to unintended consequences that would be detrimental to communities and dwarf any public health benefit.