San Leandro Considers Menthol Cigarette Ban
If you haven’t heard yet, the city is preparing to review our tobacco ordinance later this month. We are one of the few cities in Alameda County that has yet to ban the sale of menthol-flavored cigarettes, which disproportionately targets and kills Black people.
Now, the obvious question is: why should we bother banning menthol? People know the dangers of smoking, right? Let people make their own choices, right? I wish it were that simple...
Start with the sad fact that smoking-related illnesses kill more Black people than AIDS, car crashes, and murder combined! In fact, the combination of vaping and menthol use among Black youth is renewing the cycle of addiction and death for future generations.
How is this happening? Well, the tobacco industry has gone to great lengths to push menthol tobacco products into Black communities, despite knowing how deadly they can be. They’ve actually been doing this for decades. Meanwhile, they’re simultaneously spreading misinformation and fear about what menthol bans actually do in order to avoid accountability for their product. This includes pitting API store owners against Black people.
The reality is that these ordinances don’t penalize or criminalize menthol cigarette users. They stop retailers from selling menthol tobacco products without causing them to go out of business. That’s because these ordinances have actually been successful in over 100 different California cities, curbing use that leads to better health outcomes for Black people, while allowing store owners to stay in business as they pivot their inventory towards other products. Even Philadelphia did it recently — and so can we!
In fact, these ordinances have been so successful that California itself is considering a statewide ban. But we can’t just wait around for someone else to fix this for us. Tobacco corporations like Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) have been paying off politicians and nonprofit organizations, such as Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), for decades to avoid menthol bans. For instance, in 2009 they lobbied hard to ensure the FDA’s flavored tobacco ban excluded menthol.
I urge my fellow neighbors to contact our elected officials at citycouncil@sanleandro.org and ask them to ban menthol cigarettes in San Leandro, distribute educational materials about the dangers of menthol tobacco products, as well as approve resources to help and support local retailers with this transition.
You can also attend a roundtable discussion planned for Tuesday, July 20, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM. According to organizers, which include the Alameda County Tobacco Control Program (ACTCP), “both tobacco retailers and public health advocates will discuss their perspectives and concerns surrounding potential menthol / Tobacco Retailer Licensing updates being proposed by the city. There will be 5 tobacco retailer representatives and 5 public health advocates presenting at the Roundtable, and time for public questions and comments as well in response. Please consider attending, especially if you are a San Leandro resident!”
Also, the Alameda County Tobacco Control Coalition is hosting a door-to-door precinct walk in San Leandro on Saturday, July 17. All are welcome to join, and participants will be going door-to-door in pairs/teams, talking with San Leandro residents about the issue of menthol cigarettes and gathering support cards. Links here and here.
We have to stop allowing this poison in our city. This is more than just a racial justice or public health issue. This is about the price we think a person’s life is worth. This is about right and wrong.
Take note and take care.
Comments
Post a Comment