I’m outraged by the devious tactics Big Tobacco uses to target Black communities. We refuse to be victims of the predatory practices Big Tobacco uses to profit off our suffering. Currently, smoking-related illnesses kill more Black people than AIDS, car crashes and murder combined. That means while they’re making profits, we’re being killed.
Since the 1960’s, they have intentionally sold menthol cigarettes at discounted prices near schools that Black students attend in order to acquire new customers. The impact on my neighbors, family, and friends has been devastating. Tobacco companies flood our neighborhoods with a deadly and addictive product — menthol cigarettes. Even worse, menthol cigarettes numb the throat, allowing longer drags, absorbing deeper into the lungs.
We deserve more than to be treated like an easy paycheck for Big Tobacco’s endless greed.
I am reaching out to you today because I can no longer stand aside and watch Big Tobacco destroy my community with deadly products and I implore you to act.
Thank you for the steps you took to protect our youth by banning the sale of many flavored tobacco products in my community. Unfortunately, there’s one big problem – it left out menthol cigarettes.
Menthol cigarettes pose a grave threat to the Black community in particular. And I’m outraged by the devious tactics Big Tobacco has been using to target Black communities. We need to stop being victims of the predatory practices Big Tobacco uses to profit off our suffering. Currently, smoking-related illnesses kill more Black people than AIDS, car crashes and murder combined. That means while they’re making profits, we’re getting killed.
Since the 1960’s, they have intentionally sold menthol cigarettes at discounted prices near schools that Black students attend in order to acquire new customers. The impact on my neighbors, family, and friends has been devastating. Tobacco companies have flooded our neighborhoods with a deadly and addictive product — menthol cigarettes. Even worse, menthol cigarettes numb the throat, allowing longer drags, absorbing deeper into the lungs.
We deserve more than to be treated like an easy paycheck for Big Tobacco’s endless greed.
I am reaching out to you today because I can no longer stand aside and watch Big Tobacco destroy my community with deadly products and I implore you to take action.
Thank you for your leadership in the fight to keep our kids and the Black community safe from tobacco industry targeting. I’m so grateful that our city has banned the sale of all flavored and menthol tobacco products, and is helping to keep everyone safe from these deadly products.
But underage vaping continues to grow and marketing of these e-cigarettes to youth remains unregulated. Marketing for flavored tobacco increases its appeal to youth and cultivates misperceptions that flavored products are less harmful. I hope more people will work toward reversing the rise in teen vaping, and give California kids the chance to live out their childhood nicotine-free.
Sincerely,