4 ms·

And if I recall correctly, one argument for not banning menthol cigarettes was because it would affect the black community disproportionately! What if we didn't

• robonerd 5y ago
  > And if I recall correctly, one argument for not banning menthol cigarettes was because it would affect the black community disproportionately! A narrative cynically bought and paid for by tobacco industry propagandists: > The disproportionate toll of menthol cigarettes among African Americans compared with the general population is a social injustice. The black community has long been subjected to the predatory marketing of mentholated tobacco products, particularly in lower income areas, where there are not only more advertisements, but more promotions and cheaper prices for menthol cigarettes when compared with more affluent neighbourhoods.7 Tobacco companies also heavily rely on their cooptation of community leaders to defuse tobacco control efforts.8 Black-led organisations with financial ties to the tobacco industry have played a critical role in disseminating misinformation throughout the black community. Such misinformation, for example, includes the idea that local policies prohibiting the sale of mentholated tobacco products are racist and will increase the criminalisation of individuals who possess or smoke them, exploiting legitimate concerns about racist policing to defend the tobacco industry’s targeted predation on the black community. PDF: https://www.savingblacklives.org/_files/ugd/29e3b2_51eb6e3ea3284d40b1e9322915cf8b82.pdf https://www.savingblacklives.org/_files/ugd/29e3b2_51eb6e3ea...