POLL: Three-out-of-Five Black and Latino New Yorkers Support a Ban on Menthol-Flavored Tobacco Products

ALBANY, NY (03/14/2023) (readMedia)-- Today, a new poll conducted by Global Strategy Group paid for by Tobacco Kills NY – a diverse, statewide campaign of civil rights and health advocates, including the NAACP, faith-leaders, public health groups, and others – showed that three-out-of-five Black and Latino New Yorkers support a ban on menthol-flavored tobacco products. Fifty-five percent of Black voters supported banning menthol with 42 percent opposed; and 72 percent of Latino voters supported with 27 percent opposed, according to the poll. Overall, 64 percent of New Yorkers favored ending the sale of flavored tobacco products in New York State. See cross tabs here.

"We see broad, robust support across the state for ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products, strengthening existing legislation preventing the sale of candy-flavored vapes and e-cigarettes, and increasing the cigarette tax. New Yorkers – regardless of race, political affiliation, or where they live – want to keep flavored tobacco and nicotine products of any kind off the shelves and away from our kids," said Jeffrey Plaut, Founding Partner of Global Strategy Group.

"New Yorkers of all backgrounds overwhelmingly support banning flavored tobacco products, including menthol. Big Tobacco has targeted and lied to communities of color for generations to profit off of their highly addictive menthol cigarettes and other dangerous flavored products-and New Yorkers have had enough. New Yorkers no longer buy Big Tobacco's lies, despite their outrageous claims that banning a deadly product will actually put people of color at risk. It's time to protect the health of New Yorkers and end the retail sale of these products once and for all," said Kevin O'Flaherty, Director, Northeastern Region of Tobacco Free Kids.

The poll also showed that 62 percent of surveyed respondents supported the $1 increase in sales tax on tobacco products proposed by Governor Hochul. Nearly 80 percent of respondents were concerned that "tobacco companies may be using candy, menthol, mint, and fruit flavors to market tobacco products to young people." This level of concern is particularly high among Black (77 percent concerned) and Latino (79 percent concerned) New Yorkers, who are also concerned that tobacco companies may be using flavors to market tobacco products to young people (79 percent concerned among voters overall, including 89 percent among Black New Yorkers and 84 percent among Latino New Yorkers).

BACKGROUND

New York State made great strides to prevent youth tobacco use by restricting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in 2020–but the new regulations still allowed other dangerous flavored tobacco products known to increase addiction to continue to be sold. Menthol cigarettes, which are much easier to smoke and more addictive than regular tobacco, are still available on shelves and the number one way Big Tobacco hooks young smokers and keeps Black New Yorkers addicted.

For generations, Big Tobacco has aggressively marketed flavored tobacco products to underage users and communities of color, creating disproportionately negative health outcomes for African-Americans in particular. In New York State, menthol cigarettes are used by over half of all adult smokers (52%). 86% of Black smokers and 72% of Hispanic smokers smoke menthols. Now 62% of Americans support a ban on menthol, including two-thirds of Black Americans. Half of young people (ages 12-17) who had ever tried smoking start with menthol cigarettes. In 2021, 41.1% of high school smokers reported using menthol cigarettes.