U.S. FDA moves forward with proposal to ban menthol cigarettes

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a long-awaited proposal to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, in a major victory for anti-smoking advocates but one that could dent sales at tobacco companies.

The proposal, which comes a year after the agency announced the plan, still needs to be finalized and can take years to implement as it is likely to face stiff opposition from the tobacco industry.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)