Quote:
Originally Posted by Rococo
I also am not convinced that banning menthol cigarettes would reduce smoking by teenagers or black people. My guess is that black and teenage smokers of menthols would just smoke other types of cigarettes if menthols were banned.
Sure, many do. Apparently, not all.
https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/conte...ol-2020-056259
Quote:
Originally Posted by zedsdead
Cigarette smuggling was already a problem in MA before this policy because they were taxed too high. In 2018, 22% of cigarettes consumed were smuggled into the state.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson
Almost certainly, there's already a thriving cigarette black market in the US due to tax laws.
Is that primarily state-to-state, like in MA? If menthols aren't sold anywhere, that makes it more difficult...unless reservations would be exempt as First Nations are in Canada. According to the study I linked, ~20% of Menthol smokers in Canada continued to get them from reserves. Still doesn't seem like it would be serious enough to "trigger criminal penalties, which will disproportionately impact people of color, as well as prioritize criminalization over public health and harm reduction. A ban will also lead to unconstitutional policing and other negative interactions with local law enforcement". But maybe I underestimate people's need for menthols.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Sklansky
No, it's still misleading. That's not all the ban would be about.
That said, while I had heard about the black-menthol link before, I didn't know it was as extreme as this:
Quote:
For about three in four (77.4%) African-American smokers, the usual cigarette is menthol, over three times the rate as among whites (23.0%).
https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/sm...ial-and-ethnic
Obviously this is a more complex topic than I had assumed. When it happened here in Canada, I'm believe it was primarily based on the understanding that:
Quote:
The menthol in cigarettes has been found to make it both easier to start smoking, and harder to quit.
And it was primarily about slowing kids from starting smoking, like with other flavoured tobacco products.