the problem with this article is a short memory. The FDA tried to ban menthol cigarettes when they banned flavored cigarettes. Congress nixed the idea by saying, "well research if menthol is as bad as these flavored cigarettes and get back to us." Can successfully kicked down the road...
Now the FDA has come back and said what we all know, yes menthol is as bad as other flavors. But, since menthol has been peeled off from all the other flavors, its popularity among black folks is given extra meaning. If the FDA had been able to do as it wanted and ban all the flavors, there would have been no controversy.
Ok -- I'm buying $XXII and jumping on the low nicotine bandwagon (22nd Century group claims to have tobacco the has 97% less nicotine than light cigarettes)
Here in the nanny state of Canada (each pack of cigarettes costs over $12 of which $8.50 are taxes), our move on tobacco has been a huge boon to one minority group in particular and several others to a lesser extent.
The biggest winners have, of course been those who whether for financial, social or health reasons have been able to quit. But now, due to high taxation, 30% of all cigarettes sold in Ontario are illegal.
The minority that profited the most is the Indigenous peoples who are in the tobacco business. Most illegal cigarettes come via Indigenous Reserves where they are the "manufacturers" but also distributors and retailers and they make the most money from the illegal trade that taxation encouraged. (This trade costs Ontario $750M in tax revenues. During the last Covid lockdown, Government cigarette tax revenues increased $50M because people had to buy locally.)
The next big minority winners are the organized crime groups such as the Hell's Angels who distribute the illegal cigarettes to retailers.
BTW the results of the Ontario menthol ban (only had 5% of Canadians smoked menthol cigarettes regardless of race) as of 2018 was "59.1% of pre-ban menthol smokers switched to non-menthol cigarettes; 21.5% quit smoking and 19.5% still smoked menthols, primarily purchased from First Nations reserves. Menthol smokers were more likely than non-menthol smokers to make a quit attempt (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.61, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.51), and to remain quit (aOR=2.30, 95% CI 1.06 to 5.01). Menthol smokers did not differ significantly from non-menthol smokers in quit success (aOR=1.72, 95% CI 0.98 to 3.01); however, daily menthol smokers were more likely than daily non-menthol smokers to quit (aOR=2.21, 95% CI 1.15 to 4.24), and daily menthol smokers who quit before the ban were more likely than daily non-menthol smokers to remain quit (aOR=2.81, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.85).
the problem with this article is a short memory. The FDA tried to ban menthol cigarettes when they banned flavored cigarettes. Congress nixed the idea by saying, "well research if menthol is as bad as these flavored cigarettes and get back to us." Can successfully kicked down the road...
Now the FDA has come back and said what we all know, yes menthol is as bad as other flavors. But, since menthol has been peeled off from all the other flavors, its popularity among black folks is given extra meaning. If the FDA had been able to do as it wanted and ban all the flavors, there would have been no controversy.
Love the "have a nice day" story!
Ok -- I'm buying $XXII and jumping on the low nicotine bandwagon (22nd Century group claims to have tobacco the has 97% less nicotine than light cigarettes)
Here in the nanny state of Canada (each pack of cigarettes costs over $12 of which $8.50 are taxes), our move on tobacco has been a huge boon to one minority group in particular and several others to a lesser extent.
The biggest winners have, of course been those who whether for financial, social or health reasons have been able to quit. But now, due to high taxation, 30% of all cigarettes sold in Ontario are illegal.
The minority that profited the most is the Indigenous peoples who are in the tobacco business. Most illegal cigarettes come via Indigenous Reserves where they are the "manufacturers" but also distributors and retailers and they make the most money from the illegal trade that taxation encouraged. (This trade costs Ontario $750M in tax revenues. During the last Covid lockdown, Government cigarette tax revenues increased $50M because people had to buy locally.)
The next big minority winners are the organized crime groups such as the Hell's Angels who distribute the illegal cigarettes to retailers.
BTW the results of the Ontario menthol ban (only had 5% of Canadians smoked menthol cigarettes regardless of race) as of 2018 was "59.1% of pre-ban menthol smokers switched to non-menthol cigarettes; 21.5% quit smoking and 19.5% still smoked menthols, primarily purchased from First Nations reserves. Menthol smokers were more likely than non-menthol smokers to make a quit attempt (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.61, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.51), and to remain quit (aOR=2.30, 95% CI 1.06 to 5.01). Menthol smokers did not differ significantly from non-menthol smokers in quit success (aOR=1.72, 95% CI 0.98 to 3.01); however, daily menthol smokers were more likely than daily non-menthol smokers to quit (aOR=2.21, 95% CI 1.15 to 4.24), and daily menthol smokers who quit before the ban were more likely than daily non-menthol smokers to remain quit (aOR=2.81, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.85).
https://www.xxiicentury.com/vln-clinical-studies/published-clinical-studies-on-very-low-nicotine-content-vlnc-cigarettes
https://torontosun.com/2015/05/29/ontario-second-to-panama-in-illegal-tobacco-sales-study
https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/31/tobaccocontrol-2020-056259
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/covid-19-shutdown-of-illegal-tobacco-manufacturing-and-sale-leads-to-spike-in-legal-cigarette-sales-805424084.html