Edit: wait shit the menthol ban is fine it's only hitting the producers, this isn't a war on drugs thing

  • dead [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Pretty weird that Biden wants to ban menthol products I wonder why

    You are telling on yourself. You are telling everyone that you did absolutely zero research into the FDA's ban because this was explicitly stated in the ban. The ban was lead by black advocacy and doctor groups. The menthol ban is the only good thing that has come out of the Biden presidency so far.


    With these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products,

    One study suggests that banning menthol cigarettes in the U.S. would lead an additional 923,000 smokers to quit, including 230,000 African Americans in the first 13 to 17 months after a ban goes into effect. An earlier study projected that about 633,000 deaths would be averted, including about 237,000 deaths averted for African Americans.

    For far too long, certain populations, including African Americans, have been targeted, and disproportionately impacted by tobacco use.

    If implemented, the FDA’s enforcement of any ban on menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars will only address manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, importers and retailers.

    https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-commits-evidence-based-actions-aimed-saving-lives-and-preventing-future-generations-smokers

    The FDA’s overdue response to the petition was prompted by a lawsuit filed by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the National Medical Association (NMA).

    The AATCLC strongly encourages that tobacco control activists throughout the country continue to fight to ban the sale of menthol tobacco products at the local, state and federal level.

    For too long, tobacco companies have been enabled to promote menthol cigarettes to the Black community, preying particularly on Black youth. We urge the FDA to move swiftly to implement the ban and remove these harmful products from the market without further delay.

    https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/fda-agrees-ban-menthol-protect-african-americans


    Even when we look at the source of the graph in the original post, it says the same thing.

    African Americans suffer the greatest burden of tobacco-related deathof any racial or ethnic group in the United States.

    Mentholflavored tobacco products are a big driver of these disparities.

    Big Tobacco’s shameful record includes targeting youth and adults in communities of color and underserved populations with menthol products resulting in the disproportionately higher use rates by minority smokers

    Cigarette companies are known to specifically target low-income neighborhoods with in-store advertising for menthol cigarettes.

    https://www2.heart.org/site/DocServer/Infographic_Menthol.pdf


    Try to think about the ban from a Marxist perspective. Menthol cigarettes are not illegal to own, produce, or use. You are still allowed to own menthol cigarettes and create your own menthol cigarettes. The commodity form of menthol cigarettes is banned. In Marxism, a commodity is an object that is created with the intent of being exchanged. In this sense, a commodity is a relationship between people. The nature of the menthol cigarette commodity is that it is a relationship where tobacco corporations exploit mainly black communities and low income communities. The FDA's ban of menthol cigarettes breaks this relationship without banning the ownership or personal use of menthol cigarettes.