There is vast global support for the U.S. to ban menthol cigarettes, as several countries have already done.
Statements Issued in Support of the FDA’s April 29, 2021 Announcement
- Congressional Black Caucus: Health Brain Trust: statement here>
- NAACP: statement here>
- California Governor Newsom: statement here>
- Oregon Health Authority: statement here>
- Los Angeles County: statement here>
- African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council: statement here>
- The Center for Black Health & Equity: release here>
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control: statement here>
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Experts’ perspectives here>
- DC Tobacco-Free Coalition: release here>
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: release here>
- MD Anderson: release here>
- Truth Initiative: release here>
- American Heart Association: release here>
- American Lung Association: release here>
- American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: release here>
- American Thoracic Society: release here>
- Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation (a coalition of more than 60 organizations): release here>
- Tobacco-Free Mizzou, shared support here>
- Génération Sans Tabac (translated: Generation Without Tobacco): release here>
- American Public Health Association: release here>
- Union of Concerned Scientists: blog here>
- Guest Editorial from Evanston, Illinois: read it here>
- Guest Editorial from Chicago, Illinois: read it here>
- Guest Editorial from Utah: read it here>
- Editorial from New York: read it here>
- Editorial from New Jersey: read it here>
- Editorial from Rhode Island: read it here>
- Editorial from Bay Area News Group (California): read it here>
- Editorial from professors in Illinois and Virginia: read it here>
Research in Support of the FDA’s Proposed Menthol Ban from The International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project
Contact Geoffrey Fong for additional details on the following information:
The ITC Project at the University of Waterloo, which has conducted tobacco control policy evaluation studies across 29 countries, recently published an article on their pre-post evaluation study of the impact of Canada’s 2016-17 menthol cigarette ban across 7 Canadian provinces, covering 83% of the Canadian population. The ITC researchers found that the menthol ban led to substantial increases in smokers who quit (9.4% among daily menthol smokers and 7.5% among all (daily + non-daily smokers). These findings have major implications for the benefits of a menthol cigarette ban in the United States.
Apr 28, 2021 | Impact of Canada’s menthol ban on quitting: Implications for the United States
An estimated 923,790 daily menthol smokers would quit, including 231,628 African Americans, and a total of 1,394,201 daily and non-daily menthol smokers would quit, including 392,562 African Americans.
Apr 25, 2021 | ITC Evaluation of Canada’s menthol ban: Infographic
Apr 5, 2021 | Canada’s menthol ban did NOT increase illicit purchasing
Apr 6, 2021 | ITC Canada menthol ban evaluation, with free access to article at Tobacco Control
Messages of Support on Social Media
Thank you @US_FDA for protecting Americans from the tobacco industry’s exploitative practices. Tobacco use remains a leading cause of death, causing cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and other chronic conditions. https://t.co/PAeYnCLq4P
— Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi, MD (@NYCHealthCommr) April 29, 2021
This is huge, historic, and long overdue. It will save lives, especially Black lives. Thanks to those who were instrumental in pushing this long fight forward! @aatclc @PHealthLawCtr @blackbodyhealth @AshOrg https://t.co/BSlTljXEMH
— CounterTobacco.org (@CounterTobacco) April 29, 2021
La santé publique a remporté une importante victoire aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 ce jeudi 29 avril 2021! 👏
La FDA a rendu son verdict : elle interdit les cigarettes mentholées et tous les arômes pour les cigares sur tout le territoire national.@AshOrg https://t.co/nqWCONYEhJ
— Le_CNCT (@Le_Cnct) April 29, 2021
Today, FDA granted our clients’ citizen petition and will be moving to ban menthol from cigarettes. Read more here: https://t.co/BpC5Iy56dS @aatclc @AshOrg @AmerMedicalAssn @NationalMedAssn
— Pollock Cohen LLP (@Pollock_Cohen) April 29, 2021
African American youth who smoke #mentholcigarettes have greater nicotine dependence and have a harder time quitting. Banning menthol is a best practice that other countries have already acted on to save lives, it’s time the FDA to act on it here. #oktoquit pic.twitter.com/MkE3tsVnwp
— OK to Quit (@oktoquit) April 29, 2021
