Popular Smoking Item May Be BANNED
(TruthandLiberty.com) – According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, 480,000 people die each year due to diseases attributed to smoking cigarettes and cigars. On Thursday, April 28, the FDA announced a proposed ban on manufacturing and selling menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in the United States. Califf said menthol-flavored cigarettes offer a pleasing flavor and contribute to nicotine addiction and diseases.
According to the Kaiser Health Foundation, menthol cigarettes compose one-third of the cigarette market. Supporters believe the ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars will cut down on the number of young and Black people who smoke. According to Allison Aubrey at NPR, almost 19 million people smoke menthol cigarettes in the US, and the ban would serve as the most important action the FDA has taken in years.
JUST IN: FDA proposes ban on menthol in cigarettes, cigars https://t.co/zWbutzsE0r pic.twitter.com/ivwxvdBTF4
— The Hill (@thehill) April 28, 2022
Aubrey stated she spoke with the NAACP, which alleged that the tobacco industry targeted Black communities as far back as the 1960s. The NAACP urged the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes just last week. Carol McGruder, co-chairperson of the African American Tobacco Leadership Council, expressed excitement about the ban as it would protect African Americans from the tobacco industry, yet she stressed the fight was far from over.
Still, others expressed concern that the menthol ban could cause negative interactions between Black citizens and police. Reverend Al Sharpton warned it could create unintended consequences as Black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes.
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