On World No Tobacco Day, Electeds, Social Justice Advocates Push for Menthol Ban

NEW YORK, NY (05/30/2023) (readMedia)-- On Wednesday – World No Tobacco Day – dozens of advocates from the NAACP including Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and others will gather at City Hall Park to demand the City Council protect communities of color and restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products in 2023. Council Member Rita Joseph, who has introduced legislation (Intro 577) that will do so, will join the event with other Council Members including Lincoln Restler.

Menthol, which is an organic compound made from peppermint, masks the harsh taste of tobacco flavor, making it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. Big Tobacco has aggressively marketed flavored tobacco products to underage users for decades to hook new generations of smokers-particularly in communities of color, where menthol cigarettes are sold to young people, creating disproportionately negative health outcomes for African Americans.

In 2019, then-City Council Members banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, however, that did not include Menthol cigarettes.