White House delay on menthol cigarette ban disappoints Black leaders
“Delay is deadly. The delay means the tobacco industry can continue to target Black communities and profit from the expense of Blacks and other lives. 45,000 Black Americans each year die, and if Black lives matter, we have to get rid of menthol cigarettes,” said Yolanda Richardson, President and CEO of the Campaign of Tobacco-Free Kids.
A message that was echoed by other Black leaders of civic, faith, and health organizations on the White House delay of banning Menthol cigarettes. Adams and other leaders gathered for a virtual press conference on Thursday, December 7, to express their united disappointment in the White House’s decision to delay the final rule prohibiting menthol cigarettes. As promised, the press conference also called on the administration to issue a final rule this year.
“There is no reason to delay. This policy has been studied for over 12 years, overwhelmingly supported by scientific evidence, and will save hundreds and thousands of lives. The White House must stand up to big tobacco and issue this life-saving rule,” said Richardson.
Cigarettes are responsible for killing 480,000 Americans each year, according to the CDC. Forty thousand of that number are Black Americans. In April 2022, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes to Congress. The original date for this to go into effect was August 2023. There have been several delays before it could happen. The latest one occurred Wednesday, December 6, without proper explanation. This delay raises concern and frustration because it comes two weeks after the tobacco industry and its lobbyists met with top officials at the White House.
“The ban should be instituted immediately. There are no civil rights institutions in support of menthol cigarettes. There are a bunch of people who are being paid to raise arguments that are fake and not in the best interest of the African American Community,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of NAACP.
Menthol cigarettes are more addictive than any other cigarette. Nicotine is the addictive component in cigarettes. According to the Campaign of Tobacco-Free Kids, menthol enhances the effects of nicotine on the brain, which makes it harder to quit. Menthol cigarettes cool and numb the throat. It masks the harshness of tobacco smoke, making it easier for kids to try smoking and eventually become addicted. The campaign also reveals over 60 years, the tobacco industry has intentionally targeted the Black community with marketing for menthol cigarettes. The result of their efforts has led to 85 percent of Black smokers using menthol cigarettes.
“The tobacco industry has targeted Black communities with menthol for tremendous profit by researching and appropriating black culture. From free mental health giveaways and ice cream truck-like vans in the 1960s to saturating urban neighborhoods with mental health advertising with low prices and coupons. Today, the industry has flooded and continues to target Black communities with this minty poison,” said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.
The new target date to finalize the ban on menthol cigarettes is March 2024, according to the agenda released by the Biden administration. Banning Menthol cigarettes would be significant in saving lives in the Black community and closing the racial gap in lung cancer deaths.
In an official statement from Campaign of Tobacco-Free Kids, The organization will continue to keep pressure on the White House through advertising, op-eds, mobilizing grassroots advocates to contact the White House and other tactics. We are making clear to the White House that Black organizations, elected officials, and other leaders nationwide strongly support a ban on menthol cigarettes.
