Legality & Lethality
NPR, on the first day of Black History Month 2024, posted this timely story about the proposed Federal ban of menthol as a tobacco flavoring. You can listen to it by clicking the arrow below.
Some of the glaring health disparities evident today are directly and indirectly a result of the prevalence of tobacco products in Black and Brown communities. Tobacco is harmful and kills 1300 Americans every day. Menthol causes tobacco to cause greater harm than “regular” or non-menthol tobacco.
How does a tobacco flavoring can cause harm and cost lives, you ask? To solve that mystery, we need to study some history.
World War II Changed Everything
Obviously World War II changed the world in immeasurable ways. But if we look specifically at the tobacco industry, there is an interesting (and not surprisingly tragic) tale to understand.
Prior to WWII the industry research showed that among 18-25 year old white males, 26% smoked. When the war was over that figure had more than doubled to 62%. Among black males in the same age group there was a very low 7% rate of smoking prior to the war. How did the tobacco industry cause such a significant increase in white male smokers? Advertising – stars, stripes, and patriotic messaging as well as some brilliant branding changed the smoking habits of a nation (and made us feel patriotic as we inhaled their poisons.)
The American Red Cross (for a couple pennies per pack) distributed cigarettes to US troops, often with a photographer close at hand. The tobacco industry hijacked the national spirit of our country and turned it into the marketing opportunity of the century.
Little packs of 3 or 4 cigarettes were distributed with meal kits to soldiers. Magazines and billboards back at home were filled with images of Santa Claus passing out cartons of cigarettes to “our boys over there!”
If you’re wondering how Big Tobacco’s wartime marketing blitz influenced black smokers, the answer is – it didn’t! 7% before the war. 7% after the war. How can that be? Black soldiers weren’t treated to the tobacco “gifts!” Every once in a while, prejudice protects. To be clear, prejudice is wrong, but in an ironic twist it protected black smokers from greater harm (at least for the moment!)
Big Tobacco’s 7% Solution
Those post-war numbers convinced Big Tobacco they could profit in the best of times and the worst of times. They set their sights on their new frontier – black and brown neighborhoods across America.
Prior to World War II, there were only a few relatively small companies selling mentholated tobacco products. After the war, in a concerted effort, menthol cigarettes were aggressively marketed to Black communities. And since Big Tobacco is really “good” at what they do, they created a lethal legacy that continues to this day. I’m not sure any industry leverages the power of advertising more effectively than the tobacco industry.
Today, 85% of black male smokers still smoke a menthol tobacco product. That is some world class marketing! Very marketing similar tactics continue today – more ads black and brown communities means more profit for the industry and more suffering in the community!
The Chemistry of Kool
Menthol anesthetizes the airways as the smoke is inhaled, thereby masking the heat and harshness of the smoke. For that reason, many youth have been initiated into smoking by menthol and other flavor additives. Health advocates have fought to ban menthol and other flavors for many years in hopes of reducing youth smoking.
Double Trouble
As a result of menthol’s numbing effect, a menthol smoker can take bigger puffs and can inhale the smoke more deeply into their lungs. That means that on average there is more soot in the lungs of a menthol smoker and more nicotine in the brain of a menthol smoker. More harm and tougher addiction!
This is a complicated issue. I hope this post provides a fuller context for folks trying to figure out why menthol is such a big deal.
One of the anti-menthol advocates mentioned in the NPR story (top of page) produced a documentary you may want to see.
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