Tobacco.org

Restrictions sought on menthol cigarettes 

Black lawmakers are pushing for more government regulation of tobacco, starting with changes to a House bill that would place a ban on menthol cigarettes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three out of four Black smokers buy menthols, making them the most popular type of cigarette among African Americans.

The Congressional Black Caucus, along with the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network and other organizations, is leading the movement to make changes to a provision in the bill, entitled the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, that bans additives like cinnamon, clove and other fruit, spice and candy flavors in cigarettes but exempts menthols. Many believe that the exclusion of menthol from the Act is racially charged since mostly African Americans smoke menthol cigarettes.

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