Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increasing number of states and cities adopt policies that limit or end the sale of flavored tobacco products. For these policies to work for everyone, equity must be central, and everyone must benefit from the movement’s success. This means we must promote comprehensive bans on flavors and above all restrictions on the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
Tobacco companies depend on flavors because of how well they work to attract and keep new customers. For decades, the tobacco industry has specifically targeted Black people in America with advertising campaigns for menthol cigarettes and other tobacco products such as flavored cigars. Like menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars are designed to lure children and disproportionately harm black youth. After Congress banned all flavored cigarettes with the exception of menthols, cigar manufacturers ramped up marketing of flavored mini cigars — or cigarillos — that closely resemble tobacco. Youth use of flavored cigars increased in the following years and was especially high among young Blacks.
As a result of these diabolical sales and marketing tactics, tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death among Blacks in America, claiming the lives of 45,000 Blacks every year. year. Blacks in the US die at a higher rate than other groups from tobacco-related causes such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
Why are tobacco companies so dependent on menthol? Peppermint flavors make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit by reducing the intensity of traditional tobacco aromas. Research shows that menthol cigarettes prolong tobacco-related differences. Menthol cigarettes are disproportionately used by Blacks, LGBTQ people, and people with mental illness — all groups disproportionately affected by tobacco. More than seven out of 10 black youth ages 12 to 17 who smoke use menthol cigarettes.
More than a decade ago, Congress gave the FDA the power to ban menthol cigarettes, recognizing that “menthol cigarettes may pose unique health risks.” In response, the FDA established the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to review the public health impacts of menthol cigarettes. TPSAC concluded that “removing menthol cigarettes from the market would benefit public health in the United States,” estimating that continued sales of menthol cigarettes would result in more than 4,700 human deaths. African-Americans from 2011 to 2020. Since then, FDA approval has continued, and new evidence has continued to demonstrate that menthol cigarettes promote smoking initiation and exacerbation. health disparities. However, these products continue to be marketed, providing no benefit to public health while putting millions of lives further at risk.
The fact that products like menthol cigarettes continue to be sold is an indication of how many of those people are working to overcome the biggest barriers to reducing tobacco use — including Black, American Indian and LGBTQ communities — were underrepresented in the broader movement to protect children and families from tobacco companies and their harmful products. Organizations such as the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) and the Black Center for Health and Equity (CBHE) have done a lot to build support for the restrictions state and local governments for the sale of menthol cigarettes and are drawing national attention to the issue. But there’s more work to be done.
The US Food and Drug Administration will respond April 29 to a citizen petition urging a ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes. Taking these products off the market as part of a comprehensive end to the sale of all flavored tobacco products would be a major public health milestone. For many years, tobacco use has been the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, with people of color being among the deadliest. Taking flavored tobacco products off the market once and for all will save millions of lives, dramatically reduce health care costs, and go a long way towards ensuring a fairer approach. for better health in the United States.
Read Rich Besser’s op-eds about the need to prioritize health equity in tobacco control policies.
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