According to US media newsone on November 15, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that about 77% of black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes. This may be due to the tobacco industry actively promoting menthol cigarette products to black residents in urban communities in the United States. Caused by.
Yale University scientists concluded in a 2012 report that menthol-flavored cigarettes are more addictive than regular cigarettes because the menthol flavor makes tobacco products more tolerable, thereby increasing nicotine addiction and smoking-related diseases. The study also determined that menthol cigarettes pose greater risks to minors.
However, advocate Gwen Carr, whose son died after a run-in with New York police over unpaid cigarette taxes, is critical of the menthol ban, arguing that flavor bans are not enough and emphasizing education and treatment. necessity.
Carr said: "Menthol itself is not fatal, it is the nicotine component that is lethal. If you want to ban smoking, don't engage in racial discrimination. Either a complete ban or no ban at all."
Rev. Al Sharpton echoed these concerns, predicting a surge in illegal sales following the menthol ban.
According to statistics from the American Lung Association, the proportions of black smokers and white smokers in the United States are 16.8% and 16.6% respectively, but the number of black smokers using menthol cigarettes is more than three times that of white smokers.
