The Tobacco Industry Profits While 45,000 Black Lives Are Lost Each Year
No Menthol Atlanta Community Events
Nov. 14-17, 2022
Leading up to the Great American Smokeout on November 17, Atlanta health and social justice advocates are raising awareness about locally available resources to help smokers quit and the need to ban menthol cigarettes, which have plagued the Black community and other vulnerable populations in Atlanta and across the nation.
This week of free events will culminate in a community dinner at Park Tavern restaurant on November 17 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM ET. Join us for this FREE community event to learn more —there will be live music, free food and more entertainment!
For media inquiries, please email Dave Lemmon.
Event Details
Learn more about our free events throughout the week!
Fireside Chat
Monday, Nov. 14
Virtual Fireside Chat & Educational Webinar hosted by the H.E.A.R.T. Coalition and Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes (PAVe).
TOBACCO AWARENESS DAY
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University will celebrate Tobacco Awareness Day. Invitation only.
GO COLD TURKEY FOR A TURKEY
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 3:00 - 5:00 PM
Learn more about available tobacco cessation services. We will provide a gift card for purchasing a turkey for those who pledge to “quit cold turkey."
West End Library (525 Peebles Street SW)
ATLANTA'S GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT
Thursday, Nov. 17: 5:00 - 9:00 PM
Join us to hear from community leaders about resources to quit smoking and the need to prohibit menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. There will be live music, free food and more entertainment!
Park Tavern (Piedmont Park, 500 10th Street NE)
These events will be hosted by H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education Awareness and Research on Tobacco) and No Menthol Movement ATL, two broad-based community coalitions working to reduce tobacco use and save lives. Other participants include CVS Health, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Black Women’s Health Imperative, the Center for Black Health and Equity, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, and many others.
More Information About Tobacco and Menthol Cigarettes
Earlier this year, the FDA proposed historic regulations to prohibit menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, products that have long been marketed to Black communities and kids and caused devastating and disproportionate harm to Black health.
Scientific evidence shows that menthol cigarettes are more addictive, easier for kids to start and harder for smokers to quit. Menthol numbs the throat and masks the harshness of cigarette smoke, which makes it easier for kids to start smoking and eventually become addicted.
For decades, the tobacco industry has marketed menthol cigarettes to Black communities. In the 1950s, less than 10% of Black smokers used menthol cigarettes; today that number is 85%. Menthol cigarettes are a major reason why tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death among Black Americans – claiming 45,000 Black lives each year – and Black Americans die at higher rates from tobacco-related diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke. Eliminating menthol and other flavored tobacco products will protect kids, advance health equity, and save lives, especially among Black Americans.
There is strong support for prohibiting menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from a wide range of organizations, scientists and elected officials – including from leading Black organizations like the NAACP, the National Medical Association, the National Black Nurses Association, the Association of Black Cardiologists and others.
Learn more here.
TOBACCO’S TOLL ON BLACK LIVES
Every year, the tobacco industry reaps profits while 45,000 Black lives are lost each year. Many of us have been personally impacted by tobacco — where it’s our friends, family, peers or ourselves. This toll of tobacco can also be measured in years of life lost, financial loss and productivity loss. Ultimately, tobacco is the #1 cause of preventable death among Black Americans.
TOBACCO INDUSTRY TARGETING
For more than 60 years, the tobacco industry has deliberately targeted Black communities with marketing for menthol cigarettes through magazine ads, sponsorship of community and music events, free samples and other tactics. In the 1950s, less than 10% of Black smokers used menthol cigarettes. Today, that number is 85%.
WHY ELIMINATE MENTHOL CIGARETTES
Menthol cigarettes are more addictive, easier for kids to start and harder for smokers to quit. Largely because of more addictive menthol cigarettes, Black smokers have a harder time quitting smoking and die at higher rates from tobacco-related diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke.
FDA ACTION
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced proposed rules to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Studies estimate that this policy would save up to 654,000 lives, including up to 238,000 Black lives, over 40 years. These rules would only apply to manufacturers and retailers — not individual possession. There is strong support for prohibiting menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from a wide range of organizations, scientists and elected officials – including from leading Black organizations like NAACP.