Menthol Ban
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2021
Contact: NFN Scout, 401-267-8337
LGBTQ+ Cancer Organization Applauds Biden Administration for Proposed Menthol Ban
The following statement can be attributed to NFN Scout, Executive Director, National LGBT Cancer Network
“If you don’t smoke, you may not realize menthol is the mint flavoring added to make cigarettes seem less harsh. Research has shown menthol makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. For decades the tobacco industry has particularly targeted the Black communities with menthol cigarette ads. This targeting has been wildly successful with disparity populations, over 85% of Black smokers use menthol cigarettes. Menthol use rates are also higher for American Indian, Latinx, and Asian American populations. What is not often known is LGBTQ+ people also smoke menthol cigarettes at higher rates than the general population. It is long past time to end this highly successful industry targeting campaign. The National LGBT Cancer Network stands alongside all of the exceptional Black community leaders who have worked for decades to tackle the social justice issue of menthol. Eventually we need to ban all flavors from all tobacco products, including menthol from e-cigarettes. Today we praise the FDA and the Biden administration for taking a bold step towards eliminating all tobacco flavors and outlining a plan to ban the most used one, menthol. Once menthol is history, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth will have a much better chance of getting to adulthood without facing a deep set health addiction.”
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The National LGBT Cancer Network works to improve the lives of LGBTQI+ cancer survivors and those at risk by educating the LGBTQI+ communities about our increased cancer risks; training health care providers; and advocating for LGBTQI+ engagement in mainstream cancer organizations. We are home to one of eight CDC funded national tobacco and cancer disparity networks. Learn more at cancer-network.org/.
