Your Help Is Needed Now!
In 2009 the FDA banned flavored cigarettes, but allowed menthols.
We are heading a campaign in Solano County to urge the Federal Drug Administration to ban menthol in cigarettes and flavorings such as chocolate, as well as menthol, in smokeless tobacco products.
"Dying for a Menthol"
Ads (right) appeared in The Daily Republic and The Vallejo Times-Herald during March to capture public attention and encourage involvement in this life-saving effort.
Right Now, the FDA is taking public comments on whether to prohibit menthol.
Add your voice! You can give direct input to the FDA here and/or email FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, at margaret.hamburg@fda.hhs.gov.
Be sure to check back for updates as our campaign progresses -- look for our Press Release
We need your help to support local Resolutions that urge the FDA to ban menthol.
Resolutions are being passed now in the Bay Area:
- Contra Costa County
- City of Oakland
- Alameda County
- Solano County
- City of Richmond
- San Francisco
- City of Berkeley
- San Mateo County
- San Pablo
- Martinez
- Pittsburg
- more cities and counties joining soon!
Watch for updates on our progress in the upcoming months!
Why menthol?
Menthols are "starter" cigarettes for underage smokers, and 82% of African-Americans who smoke, choose menthols.
African-American smokers are suffering higher rates of smoking-related illnesses - dying prematurely from heart disease, stroke and complications of high blood pressure and diabetes.
Advertising targets African-Americans, Latinos and youth. Visit the National African-American Tobacco Prevention Network for the whole story at NAATPN.
Deceptive ads are designed to convince African-American smokers that menthols are healthier than regular cigarettes. This myth persists across generations.
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All Cigarettes Contain Menthol!
Menthols are “starter” cigarettes for youth. 44% of
young smokers, ages 14 to 17, smoke menthols.
Not Cool!
All cigarettes contain menthol in varying amounts. The "cooling" properties of menthol, along with predatory advertising campaigns quickly and heavily addict minority youth for life.
Menthol is - NOT!
- a healthier alternative
- soothing to sore throats
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"Refreshing, Alive with Pleasure"
Menthol DOES activate cooling receptors in the mouth, throat, taste buds and bronchi to send signals to the brain to:
- cause deeper inhalation into lungs;
- trigger dopamine receptors and with the effects of nicotine, create stronger addiction;
- increase salivation, making the poison go down easier;
- make cells more permeable, letting toxins pass more easily through tissue.
Candy Flavors Entice Youth
The ban on flavored cigarettes does NOT extend to little cigars, regular cigars, flavored blunt wraps or any of the hundreds of smokeless products.
Our campaign to prevent youth from taking up a deadly habit extends beyond banning menthol from cigarettes.
We support banning menthol and fruity flavorings from all tobacco products, including new smokeless items such as Snus, Camel Orbs, strips and sticks.
YOU Can Help!
Join us in our efforts to educate friends and our communities about this highly important issue.
We are organizing teams in Vallejo, Fairfield, Vacaville and Dixon. Help us rally support for an FDA ban of menthol and flavored tobacco. Please contact Felicia Flores-Workman today!
To Learn More
Menthol Fact Sheet: The Impact of Menthol on Public Health
Tobacco Free Kids has information on tobacco industry issues including marketing practices. Check out Big Tobacco's Guinea Pigs!
CYAN, California's Youth Advocacy Network, focuses on preventing youth from tobacco use.
TALC, the Technical Assistance Legal Center, answers legal questions regarding tobacco regulation, smoke-free laws, etc.
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