For decades, the tobacco industry has deployed predatory tactics to build a lucrative market for menthol cigarettes and other flavored products in communities of color. The industry’s legacy of racism and slavery still shapes its practices today, driving disproportionate harm among Black people in communities across the United States.
Menthol Cigarettes
A federal ban on menthol cigarettes would save lives, particularly in Black communities. But it’s not the only way to address smoking disparities and reduce premature deaths in those communities. Tobacco companies targeting black communities with various marketing strategies, including handing out free cigarettes and sponsoring community events, giving money to local leaders, placing ads in stores frequented by minority residents, and more. These tactics, combined with a lack of access to smoking cessation programs and other factors, contribute to higher rates of smokers among people of color. Mentholated cigarettes, which have a minty flavor that masks the harshness of smoke, make up more than eight out of 10 cigarettes sold in America. And they’re trendy among Black youth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal yesterday to ban mentholated cigarettes in the United States is so significant. One concern is that banning mentholated cigarettes could prompt police to focus on Black communities, where they might be more likely to encounter minorities selling mentholated cigarettes on street corners. But the FDA’s pending menthol cigarette ban is only about distributing these products—not buying or possessing them. Other countries have had success implementing similar bans without creating illicit markets or encouraging police to engage in racial profiling.
Flavored Cigarettes
For decades, tobacco companies have researched flavors and marketed them to youth to lure new users and increase addiction rates. Flavored cigarettes are more appealing to young people than non-flavored cigarettes and are a powerful marketing tool that is particularly effective in Black communities. Research has also shown that flavorings like mint, fruit, and vanilla make tobacco products more appealing to youth. 80% of current smokers tried flavored tobacco products as a youth. A growing number of local Black organizations and community leaders are educating members of their community about the dangers of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. Many are calling for a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol, in their communities. The tobacco industry has long targeted Black youth with a variety of predatory tactics, such as recruiting Black influencers and handing out free cigarettes in barber shops. It has created fake cultural affinities through advertising campaigns featuring Black icons like Dizzy Gillespie. It has even co-opted movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and Juneteenth in its marketing to young people. A recent study found that flavored cigarettes are more popular among Black and LGBTQ youth and that menthol-flavored cigarettes are especially appealing to Black and LGBTQ youth. It’s time to end the racist and toxic marketing of menthol cigarettes and other flavored products that send a message that smoking is cool.
Tobacco Advertising
As documented by internal tobacco industry documents and interviews, profiling communities of color is a crucial strategy for the industry to recruit “replacement smokers.” Tobacco companies have aggressively targeted Black Americans through advertising campaigns, sponsorships, and promotions. For example, research has found that stores in predominantly Black neighborhoods were up to ten times more likely to display tobacco ads than those in areas with few African-American residents. In addition to marketing cigarettes, the tobacco industry also targets Black communities with marketing for flavored cigars and smokeless products, which can lead to the same devastating health consequences as smoking. Menthol cigars are the leading tobacco product among Black high school students. A disproportionate amount of tobacco-related advertising appears in Black newspapers and on television, radio, billboards, and bus shelters. These results suggest that despite federal and state restrictions limiting tobacco advertising, including a 1970 federal ban on TV and radio cigarette advertisements and a 1998 Master Settlement Agreement that includes limits for cigarette advertising, eliminates outdoor and public transit cigarette advertising, prohibits event sponsorship, and restricts free samples, it is challenging to limit tobacco advertising in Black media outlets effectively. To combat this disproportionate exposure, the tobacco industry has created a variety of promotional strategies, including print “advertorials,” which are ads in the form of editorial content strategically positioned next to reported content. These advertorials have a tendency to promote non-combustible products while still using inflammatory imagery and language that appeals to the same fears of Black Americans as cigarette advertising does.
Sponsorships
For decades, tobacco companies paid for space in Black newspapers and sponsored music events to promote their products. Research shows that African Americans are exposed to higher volumes and densities of pro-tobacco media messaging than other populations. For example, a systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed literature found that African Americans are disproportionately exposed to outdoor tobacco advertising. These ads are a direct result of the tobacco industry’s targeting strategies and must be stopped. Efforts to combat this profiling must include raising awareness among communities of color, supporting and funding programs that support quitting, and calling for policies that address racial disparities in smoking rates, including national bans on menthol-flavored cigarettes.
