CapB: A Nationwide Ban on Menthol Cigarettes Could Be Coming, and It’s Dividing Racial Justice Advocates

[China]

A Nationwide Ban on Menthol Cigarettes Could Be Coming, and It’s Dividing Racial Justice Advocates

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to introduce a nationwide ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars this spring, a move intended to reduce racial health disparities in tobacco-related diseases and death. But the proposal has divided racial justice advocates who debate whether the health benefits would come at the risk of further criminalizing Black communities.

The FDA gave itself until April to draw up rules that limit the sale of menthol cigarettes, which are easier to smoke and harder to quit than unflavored products. The tobacco industry’s marketing of menthols included a targeted campaign toward Black Americans for decades. Today, 85% of Black smokers opt for menthol products, the highest rate of any reported racial group.

 

Overall, Black Americans smoke fewer cigarettes and tend to start at a later age than white Americans, but they’re more likely to die from smoking-related illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco use is a significant contributor to heart disease, cancer and stroke — the three leading causes of death for Black Americans.

 

“The public health gain is enormous,” said Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, of a menthol ban. “There’s no single action that the federal government can take that will more rapidly and more effectively reduce the health disparities that exist in the United States today.”

 

Banning menthol products has widespread support from public health experts as well as some civil rights leaders and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general. When the FDA announced last year that it plans to issue a ban, the NAACP backed the idea, saying “The tobacco industry is on a narrow quest for profit, and they have been killing us along the way. … It’s about time we prioritize the health and well-being of African Americans.”

 

But banning menthol products also has raised concerns, particularly among criminal justice reform and drug policy groups. The organizations advocate for using awareness campaigns instead of criminalization, pointing to the dramatic decline in overall cigarette use since the 1970s that was achieved largely by educating the public on the harms of tobacco. 

 

Some Black congresspeople have objected to a federal ban on grounds that making menthol cigarettes illegal will give police more opportunities to detain Black Americans, who are already overly burdened by the legal system. The ACLU pointed to the killing of Eric Garner, a Black man who was killed by New York police in 2014 after he was stopped for selling unpackaged cigarettes on the street.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Renegade7]

If they gonna do this, stop beating around the bush and jus ban cigarettes already (which I also don't agree with).

 

Wish we could have an honest conversation a out the chemicals in modern cigarettes versus this zero tolerance protect people from themselves mentality.

 

Are hooka bars gonna be banned as well down the road?  Why don't we ban alcohol while we're at it. 

[Captain Wiggles]

31 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

Why don't we ban alcohol while we're at it. 

 

Plenty of counties have. Like Moore County Tennessee where interestingly enough Jack Daniel's is made. 🤓 

 

I'm kinda torn on this honestly. Menthols are pretty gross but I mean if folk wanna smoke go ahead. Just do it outside and far away from me. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Captain Wiggles

[Kosher Ham]

Stupid to even bother. 

[China]

Detroit pastor says he was offered $250,000 to oppose menthol cigarette ban

 

A pastor was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to lead a campaign against banning the sale of menthol cigarettes in the U.S., the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has learned. 

 

The Rev. Horace Sheffield, a prominent Black civil rights campaigner in Detroit, was told the money was coming from RJ Reynolds, the tobacco giant behind America’s most popular brand of menthol cigarettes, Newport.

 

His exclusive interview with the Bureau gives a rare insight into how companies attempt to influence the menthol debate via Black-led organizations, which are often in desperate need of more funds. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[The Sisko]

IMO, the disagreements about this have an obvious "out". Simply ban the manufacture of them. If people figure out ways around it, and I suspect they will since it's probably just a matter of dipping your cig or the filter into a peppermint oil solution or something. The goal in this case isn't to stop all people from smoking menthols, but harm reduction. So, some people will decide it's a good excuse to quit, some others won't want to deal with the extra hassle, won't like the taste, and still others will find the additional costs prohibitive and will either quit or reduce consumption. Additionally, the extra hassle might decrease the numbers of young people that start smoking. I do agree that the last thing we need is another excuse for Thugs With Badges to harass, brutalize, and arrest POC more.

[PleaseBlitz]

I agree with banning flavored cigarettes, but I don't agree with making violations a criminal violation.  Make it a civil violation.  If you get caught breaking the law, you don't go to jail, you get fined. Basically treat it as a while collar crime.  That way it's still illegal, and most people tend to follow the law even if they don't like it, there is still a punishment mechanism, and it doesn't send yet more black people to jail over bull****. 

[Fan since a Fetus]

If we ban everything that is bad for us, then we should ban fast food first. That has way more of a reach to kids. I absolutely loved McDonalds growing up and my father took me all the time. With all of the health issues this country has, I think fast food is a logical first step if they are really worried and trying to make a difference.

 

however, I don’t agree with that either. If people are old enough to decide to smoke, and I don’t care if it’s flavored or not, then let them. The only problem I have is with underage people. Maybe parents should parent and get the kids in line somehow, that does not include physical harm such as spanking.

 

I don’t smoke cigarettes and really don’t care if they are all banned. I just think this is one of those slippery slopes that will begin the banning of other things that suddenly make people go “um, wait a minute. I love my 1700 calorie burger”…actually 1700 is small game compared to a lot out there. 
 

And I’m 100% against fines for this. Also, I’m pro weed even though I haven’t smoked in several years.. This could follow in its footsteps. Then people would eat edibles. But then edibles would be banned because they taste too good and gets people into marijuana

[88Comrade2000]

On 2/23/2022 at 9:00 PM, Renegade7 said:

If they gonna do this, stop beating around the bush and jus ban cigarettes already (which I also don't agree with).

 

Wish we could have an honest conversation a out the chemicals in modern cigarettes versus this zero tolerance protect people from themselves mentality.

 

Are hooka bars gonna be banned as well down the road?  Why don't we ban alcohol while we're at it. 

Banning alcohol failed in the 1920's, it wouldn't work in the 2020's either.

[PleaseBlitz]

Yea, I’m not for an outright ban on all cigs. I’m for banning their use in public areas and taxing the **** out of anything containing nicotine. 

[CobraCommander]

43 minutes ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

Banning alcohol failed in the 1920's, it wouldn't work in the 2020's either.

It would be one hell of a ride though!

 

Do kids even smoke anymore? I'm in my 40s now and only know a handful of people that still smoke. My wife and I quit in our 30s. It's to the point where people that smoke stand out to me and it's odd. Even my 70 year old aunt that smoked like a chimney for most of her life, quit. 

 

 

[The Sisko]

2 hours ago, PleaseBlitz said:

I agree with banning flavored cigarettes, but I don't agree with making violations a criminal violation.  Make it a civil violation.  If you get caught breaking the law, you don't go to jail, you get fined. Basically treat it as a while collar crime.  That way it's still illegal, and most people tend to follow the law even if they don't like it, there is still a punishment mechanism, and it doesn't send yet more black people to jail over bull****. 

The problem with that is that the pigs and their local governments would use that as simply another way to milk a population of money, many of whom can ill afford it. In many places, small stuff like this results in fines for not paying that balloon up into something these people really can't afford.

The more I think about it, I think the most effective thing to do would be what has already worked. Increase excise taxes on them. Smoking cessation experts tried everything, education, scare tactics, and any number of other things. In the end, it turned out that increasing the cost was the only thing that worked. It made many people quit altogether and many of the ones that didn't decreased their usage. We might also consider limiting the types of places that can sell them so they're not as easy to get. To avoid giving the impression that the administration is targeting black smokers for price increases, the latter two options could just apply across the board to all cigarettes.

[PleaseBlitz]

19 minutes ago, The Sisko said:

The problem with that is that the pigs and their local governments would use that as simply another way to milk a population of money, many of whom can ill afford it. In many places, small stuff like this results in fines for not paying that balloon up into something these people really can't afford.

1. Still better than throwing ppl in jail. 2.  Make it a violation to sell, not to buy. 
 

As noted above, I am all for taxing the **** out of all cigs and vapes etc. 

[justice98]

I'll never understand, how in this day and age, anyone would choose to smoke cigarettes.  Maybe back in the day, it was a different era.  It was at least cool once upon a time.  But nowadays, with what we know about the dangers, the tobacco company malfeasance, the exorbitant financial price of cigarettes, etc, how somebody could say "yeah, I want in on that!".  

[The Sisko]

2 hours ago, PleaseBlitz said:

1. Still better than throwing ppl in jail. 2.  Make it a violation to sell, not to buy. 
 

As noted above, I am all for taxing the **** out of all cigs and vapes etc. 

I think we'd be better off taking our chances with the cigs than local governments, especially in (red) states where they're so proud of their low tax rates while localities take it up the posterior end and are all but forced into treating their residents as cows. Here in Georgia, it's even possible to end up on probation or incarcerated for not paying fines so in some places, your #1 isn't relevant.

 

https://itep.org/why-local-jurisdictions-heavy-reliance-on-fines-and-fees-is-a-tax-policy-issue/

https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/articles/in-small-town-georgia-a-broken-taillight-can-lead-to-spiraling-debt/

[philibusters]

14 hours ago, The Sisko said:

IMO, the disagreements about this have an obvious "out". Simply ban the manufacture of them. If people figure out ways around it, and I suspect they will since it's probably just a matter of dipping your cig or the filter into a peppermint oil solution or something. The goal in this case isn't to stop all people from smoking menthols, but harm reduction. So, some people will decide it's a good excuse to quit, some others won't want to deal with the extra hassle, won't like the taste, and still others will find the additional costs prohibitive and will either quit or reduce consumption. Additionally, the extra hassle might decrease the numbers of young people that start smoking. I do agree that the last thing we need is another excuse for Thugs With Badges to harass, brutalize, and arrest POC more.

 

Your solution makes a lot of sense to me.

[Ball Security]

3 hours ago, CobraCommander said:

It would be one hell of a ride though!

 

Do kids even smoke anymore? I'm in my 40s now and only know a handful of people that still smoke. My wife and I quit in our 30s. It's to the point where people that smoke stand out to me and it's odd. Even my 70 year old aunt that smoked like a chimney for most of her life, quit. 

 

 

Juul was/is big when my nephew was in middle/high school.  He’s two years into college now.

[Cooked Crack]