[Editor's Note: This week's debate centers on the FDA, smoking and African-Americans. The FDA may ban menthol cigarettes - the most popular type of cigarettes among young Black Americans. 75 percent of Black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes and tobacco companies heavily advertise menthol products in Black communities and media. Although African-Americans smoke fewer cigarettes compared with white smokers, they have higher rates of lung cancer, stroke and other tobacco-related diseases. Seven former U.S. health secretaries sent a letter to Congress saying that allowing menthol-cigarette sales to continue would "trample the health" of African Americans. Two of our staff writers weigh in.]
Should the FDA ban menthol cigarettes?
Brittany, 23: No. While menthol may help make cigarettes taste better, I think banning them is putting a band-aid on a bullet wound.
Nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia, the list goes on and on. These are just some of the chemicals contained in cigarettes. In total, there are over 600 ingredients that are consumed everyday by smokers. However, the FDA has recently considered proposing legislation that will ban cigarettes with the additive of menthol. After all, menthol is really the problem *sarcasm*.
While menthol may help make cigarettes taste better, I think banning them is putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. The same as with what was done with cloves and candy flavored tobacco products. If people want to smoke, they are going to smoke. However, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that people are necessarily smoking, but what is in what they are smoking.
Furthermore, using the safety of African-American smokers as a scapegoat to propose this legislation is extremely skeevy. Afterall, menthol is actually pretty safe. Matter of fact, I grew up on Vick’s Vapor Rub and I have mentholated cough drops in my room right now. Apparently, there are healing powers in menthol. Which leads me to believe African-Americans aren’t suffering any more than the other seventy-four percent of mentholated cigarette smokers just because of this additive. They are suffering because of a higher susceptibility to illnesses caused by the carcinogenic elements placed in cigarettes.
Nicotine addiction drives people to continue smoking. As they become more addicted to cigarettes, sure they may look into products that alleviate the intake of cigarette smoke. It is at this point where menthol cigarettes come into play. However, an addiction has already been established. Will banning menthol cigarettes stop people from smoking? Of course not. It’s just now instead of smoking 601 chemicals, they’ll be smoking 600. Find me when they remove nicotine.
Aisha, 21: Yes. The FDA should ban menthol cigarettes as long as there are services or institutional programs made available for low or no cost for smokers of those cigarettes, especially Blacks, for cessation.
When I was 14 years old my Grandfather passed away of throat cancer. He, as well as most of the members of my family, smoked Newport menthol cigarettes. Even after his death many of them still smoke Newport Menthols in spite of the fact that his death could be inextricably narrowed down to the cancer-sticks. This is because they feel perpetually attached to taking a drag of their favorite nicotine and poison-laden product.
The fact that “75 percent of Black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes and tobacco companies heavily advertise menthol products in Black communities and media” makes this a very Black issue. Also because Blacks incur such high rates of cancer, stroke and tobacco-related diseases the preeminence of this issue is quite clear. Menthol is the chocolate or cherry flavored cigarette (flavors already banned by the FDA for luring children) of the Black community and it is killing us, generation by Newport/Marlboro/Salem chugging generation.
However, it is necessary to point out that as with all regulations of this nature it will not be successful nor will it move smoothly (as seen with the prohibition of alcohol and the illegalization of marijuana) if there are not institutions or services made available to this majority Black population of smokers to aid them in the cessation of their addiction. Without the provision of these services or institutions we will simply have a shift of commodity from one cancer stick to the next. This would never fully alleviate the issue of Black tobacco-related diseases and would not at all aid in the fight against big tobacco.
What do you think FXP readers? Do you agree or disagree with either of our contributors specifically? Should the FDA ban menthol cigarettes? Why or why not?
Sources: Washington Post and Post Chronicle
Article by FreshXpress Staff
theFreshXpress.com is a collection of free thinkers and individuals that have come together to give voice to a nation of young African Americans. It is our mission to provide fresh thought, fresh perspectives, and fresh debate on issues relevant to the African American community.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with points made by both Brittany and Aisha. I think the biggest thing to point out is that when anything mainstream is made illegal, you run the risk of it become a profitable illegal market. Just think of the legal ramifications of black folk across the country hustling illegal menthol cigarettes, getting arrested, and serving time in prison. Black folk don't take the criminal justice system serious for various reasons so I could definitely see some black men and WOMEN looking for some extra dough, turn to selling menthol cigarettes as a low risk hustle, and being imprisoned at alarming rates. Although it would be great to ban menthol cigs, people will still smoke them, and people will still sell them. We'll just have more black people going to prison along with the ones dying.
make marketing them illegal
I agree bitter black dude!
I work at a ‘smoke shack’ in a mostly black neighborhood. Sure we go through millions of Newport and Kools, but a lot of customers buy the different flavored cigars. A huge number have already switched to the cigars because they’re at least 75% cheaper than cigarettes!
The reason I stopped to write is to mention that we also sell all different kinds of FLAVOR LIQUID you can put on smokes. This stuff comes in hundreds of flavors, including several varieties of minty, lots of fruit flavors and even chocolate. So it doesn’t really matter if menthols get banned, other than making the legislators look like a bunch of racist ***holes, people can still have a minty smoke.
What IS the point of doing that without banning ALL tobacco?
It’s just a waste of money and a distraction from bigger problems.