Biden Administration Plans To Ban Menthol Cigarettes Due to Health Implications On The Youth And Black People

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The Biden administration has a plan to do an immediate ban on menthol cigarettes. According to critics and anti-smoking advocates, they claim that it’s a product that the tobacco industry has heavily pushed towards the Black people in the United States.

It was in the end of April that the Washington Post shared that the U.S. administration might possibly put a ban on menthol and other flavored cigarettes within the next week.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), around 85 percent of Black smokers purchase and use menthol brands such as Kool and Newport. There is even research that supports how menthol cigarettes are much easier to become addicted to, as well as much harder to quit than other unflavored tobacco cigarettes or products including small cigars that are highly popular amongst the younger American population alongside African Americans too.


For civil rights advocates, they also say that the decision ‘should be greeted by Black communities and people of color’ since they are the population that are mostly marketed to by what they express is the ‘predatory tobacco industry.’

Studies show that black smokers actually smoke less than white smokers, yet they suffer from an unreasonable amount of deaths because of diseases that are highly linked to tobacco such as stroke, heart attack, and a number of others.

President of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and anti-smoking advocate, Matthew L. Myers, expressed his thoughts on the decision to remove such tobacco products that have been attractive to kids and young adults alike.

He said, “Menthol cigarettes are the No. 1 cause of youth smoking in the United States. Eliminating menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars used by so many kids will do more in the long run to reduce tobacco-related disease than any action the federal government has ever taken.”

Director of the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products explains that the ban is to foster better health equity, explaining “Despite the tremendous progress we’ve made in getting people to stop smoking over the past 55 years, that progress hasn’t been experienced by everyone equally.”

Zeller adds, “In the United States, compared to non-Hispanic White smokers, significantly fewer Black smokers support long-term quitting and Black smokers are more likely to die of tobacco-related disease than White smokers.”

On the other hand, groups such as American Civil Liberties Group (ACLU) are highly opposed to the ban. They say that banning menthol products could lead to criminal penalties since this particular enforcement is being targeted towards communities of color the most, and not on others.

The ACLU, the Drug Policy Alliance and other groups wrote a letter to administration officials explaining that while they believe that the ban is “no doubt well-intentioned” it could also have some “serious racial justice implications.”


The letter also explained, “Such a ban will trigger criminal penalties, which will disproportionately impact people of color, as well as prioritize criminalization over public health and harm reduction. A ban will also lead to unconstitutional policing and other negative interactions with local law enforcement.”

Yet the government cites that the ban aims to “significantly reduce disease and death” due to these two products. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), within the United States, smoking is the foremost preventable death.

Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock shared in a statement, “Banning menthol – the last allowable flavor – in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products. With these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products.”

Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) gave their approval of the FDA’s move to ban menthol products, saying that it’s an “important step forward.”

The AAP also said, “This long overdue decision will protect future generations of young people from nicotine addiction, especially Black children and communities, which have disproportionately suffered from menthol tobacco use due to targeted efforts from the tobacco industry. While the American Academy of Pediatrics commends the FDA’s announcement, it is only a first step that must be followed with urgent, comprehensive action to remove these flavored products from the market.”

 

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