Menthol amplifies nicotine addiction, making it easier for people to start smoking but harder for them to quit.
Knowing this, the tobacco industry marketed menthol combustible cigarettes to African Americans for decades.
Yet in 2009, when the federal government banned flavored cigarettes, menthol was the blatant exemption.
In April of 2021, after years of inexplicable delay, a federal lawsuit brought by plaintiffs including the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council forced the FDA to finally announce it would “begin the rule-making process” to end the sale of menthol cigarettes. However, that can take years before the ban is officially in place.
That’s why The Center for Black Health & Equity is fighting deadly menthol tobacco products in real time at community levels across the country. In this week’s episode, PAVe interviews The Center’s Greg Bolden about the No Menthol Movement in Atlanta; local partner D’Jillisser Kelly of the H.E.A.R.T coalition will discuss on-the-ground efforts including the Great American Smokeout on November 18th.