Quit Menthol Your Way
Menthol Flavor Masks the Ugliness of Tobacco.
Menthol Flavor Masks the Ugliness of Tobacco, making it easy to start and hard to quit.
Today, nearly 90% of all African American smokers use menthol cigarettes, and more than 45,000 African Americans die from tobacco-related causes each year.
The tobacco industry has targeted African Americans and strategically marketed its products to appeal to the community for decades, including placing more advertising in predominantly black neighborhoods and in publications that are popular with black audiences.
Resources
Check out the new 2024 ads launched by CDC’s “Tips From Former Smokers.” Many of the new ads include messaging on the harms of menthol tobacco.
Learn Why Tobacco is a Racial Justice Issue from The Truth initiative.
Join the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council's effort Saving Black Lives.
See how the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids is working to end Big Tobacco’s predatory marketing to Black communities with Stopping Menthol, Saving Lives.
Strong action is needed to protect health and save lives. To protect the health of Black Americans and address health disparities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must quickly finalize and implement its proposed rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The FDA announced the proposed rules in April 2022.
Learn from CDC's Commercial Tobacco and Health Equity about Unfair and Unjust Practices and Conditions Harm African American People and Drive Health Disparities,
The Center for Black Health & Equity talks about menthol tobacco and the African American community.
View menthol social media graphics from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Menthol Melanation TV
Quit Your Way
This May, Mecklenburg County Public Health launched a campaign entitled, “Quit Menthol Your Way” to raise awareness about the harmful effects of menthol flavored tobacco and link the community to quit resources. If you need support to quit tobacco, help is just a call or click away! Combining quit counseling along with FDA-approved medications can greatly increase your chances for success in quitting tobacco use. QuitlineNC provides a culturally tailored quit program for African American callers, called Pathways to Freedom.
May 19 is No Menthol Sunday
May 19, 2024, is No Menthol Sunday. The Center for Black Health & Equity’s No Menthol Sunday is our annual opportunity for faith communities to address the detrimental impact tobacco has on Black communities. Each year the Center encourages faith leaders to dedicate this day to educating congregants about smoking, vaping and the role of menthol and other flavors.
