Menthol cigarettes are killing Black Americans. Advocates are suing the government to change that
A 1963 ad for Kool cigarettes features a Black man and woman, both holding lit cigarettes. The man, smiling, gazes down at the woman, who looks into the distance as she blows a stream of smoke from her mouth. The accompanying text reads: “Only Kool gives you rich, mellow tobaccos … and extra coolness … a refreshing coolness you draw so smoothly through Kool’s pure white filter … from the very first cigarette in the morning, to your last cigarette at night.”
A 1971 ad from the cigarette brand L&M depicts a Black woman enjoying a luxurious bath. One arm dangles off the side of the tub, while the other holds a lit cigarette. “Everybody’s in bed and I’ll be soon, but not yet, because the bath is so soothing and I can relax” the ad reads. “This … is the L&M moment.”
And a 2006 Kool ad depicts a Black man, clad in a full black leather outfit, holding a cigarette while gazing out of a window. The only text on the ad is the surgeon general’s warning.
The advertisements, which started as part of a 1960s-era campaign by the tobacco industry, aggressively marketed highly addictive menthol cigarettes to Black people for decades. Some Black publications even became dependent upon tobacco advertising to stay afloat, and marketers identified people in Black communities, such as barbers, to give free samples to clients to help build a new market.
The campaigns were largely successful: between 1980 and 2018, 1.5 million Black Americans began smoking menthols, and 157,000 Black Americans died prematurely from smoking-related deaths. In 2020, about 81% of Black smokers smoked menthol cigarettes, compared with 34% of white smokers.
But tobacco lobbyists and advertisers’ success in creating a market of consumers could be soon coming to an end.
Last Tuesday, anti-smoking groups sued the US government over the delay in passing a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has attempted to ban menthol for about 15 years, estimating that doing so could prevent 300,000 to 650,000 smoking deaths over the course of several decades. But the tobacco industry’s lobby has repeatedly pushed back on lawmakers and advocates’ efforts.
“As African American physicians, we are deeply disturbed at the continuing delays in FDA’s finalizing of the ban on menthol cigarettes,” Dr Yolanda Lawson, the president of the National Medical Association, said in a statement. “Our patients, more than any other group, become disabled and die prematurely due to the continued use