Press Releases

This MLK Day, Minnesota Should Commit to Racial Justice by Ending Menthol Tobacco Sales

Removing all Flavored Tobacco Products from the Marketplace would Advance Racial and Health Equity, Especially for Black Minnesotans

MINNEAPOLIS – This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black leaders from the Menthol Coalition and Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation urge lawmakers to commit to racial justice by ending menthol tobacco sales. The tobacco industry for decades has used menthol flavors to racially segment and target customers, especially Black Americans. Clearing the market of menthol and all flavored products will directly improve the health of Black communities as well as young people and other groups targeted by Big Tobacco.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is about celebrating the Black community and re-committing to serving others and seeking racial justice,” said LaTrisha Vetaw, Director of Health Policy and Advocacy at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center and co-chair of the Menthol Coalition. “As we observe this MLK Day, I urge lawmakers at all levels to clear the market of menthol tobacco products, which are a huge contributor to the public health crisis of racism. Our Black brothers and sisters will not be free until we end the sale of menthol tobacco, which for decades has addicted and killed Black Americans.”

“We know the tobacco industry is targeting the Black community with their marketing,” said Dr. Ora Hokes, a minister and Black community leader in Minneapolis. “As a devoted minister, Dr. King channeled his faith to advocate for social and racial justice. Let’s honor Dr. King’s legacy by clearing the market of deadly menthol products to improve Black health.”

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation is a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of reducing youth smoking and ending tobacco’s harm for good. The coalition supports ending the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco products to ease health disparities and prevent youth tobacco use.

Research and tobacco industry documents have found that Big Tobacco has marketed menthol cigarettes specifically to African American people by advertising in Black publications and neighborhoods, sponsoring concerts, and even driving around Black neighborhoods handing out free samples of menthol cigarettes. Because of that marketing, today 85 percent of Black smokers smoke menthols, compared to 29 percent of white smokers.

Menthol gives a cooling sensation and masks tobacco’s harshness, making it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. In 2009, the federal government took all flavored cigarettes except menthol off the market – a policy that institutionalized these racial disparities and cost precious lives.

Flavor restrictions work, and Minnesota is ready to clear the market of all flavored tobacco products. A growing number of cities and counties are passing local flavor policies. To date, 12 Minnesota communities have restricted or prohibited the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol products. A 2020 statewide poll found that three-quarters (74 percent) of Minnesotans support prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.

In late December, the Minnesota House Select Committee on Racial Justice issued extensive policy recommendations to address racial disparities. The committee recommended that Minnesota remove menthol and all flavored tobacco products from the marketplace and invest in tobacco prevention and treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic adds urgency to these efforts, since current and former smokers are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. To make matters worse, communities targeted by the tobacco industry, including Black and Indigenous Minnesotans, are some of the hardest hit by COVID-19. Removing flavored tobacco products from the marketplace is an important step to improve lung health and encourage adults to quit. All Minnesota residents can access free quitting help through 1-800-QUIT-NOW and QuitPartnerMN.com.

“As Dr. King famously said, ‘The time is always right to do what’s right,’” Vetaw added. “In 2021, let’s do the right thing and clear the market of menthol and all flavored tobacco products. Getting menthol off the market would improve health for Black Minnesotans, our kids and the entire state.”

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation is a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of reducing youth tobacco use and ending commercial tobacco’s harm for good. The coalition is united behind four major policies that reduce youth smoking and nicotine addiction, including increasing tobacco prices, prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products, investing in tobacco prevention programs and increasing the tobacco sale age to 21 – which was implemented statewide on August 1, 2020.

More info:

• MSFG 2020 Fact Sheet: Prohibit the Sale of All Flavored Tobacco Products
• During the 2020 Legislative Session, a bill (HF3032), to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products in Minnesota passed two House committees but was not heard in the Senate.

About Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation is a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of saving Minnesota youth from a lifetime of addiction to tobacco. The coalition supports policies that reduce youth smoking and nicotine addiction, including increasing tobacco prices, ending the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco products, and funding tobacco prevention and treatment programs.

Partners include: The African American Leadership Forum, Allina Health, Allina Health | Aetna, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association in Minnesota, Apple Tree Dental, Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota, Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, Becker County Energized, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation, Cancer Legal Care, CentraCare, Children’s Defense Fund-MN, Children’s Minnesota, ClearWay Minnesota^SM, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio – CLUES, Dodge County Public Health, Education Minnesota, Essentia Health, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, A Healthier Southwest, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, Horizon Public Health, Indigenous Peoples Task Force, ISAIAH, JustUs Health, LAAMPP Alumni, Lake Region Healthcare, Local Public Health Association of Minnesota, LPCFC – Lincoln Park Children and Families Collaborative, March of Dimes, Masonic Cancer Center – University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, Medica, Meeker McLeod Sibley Community Health Services, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers, Minnesota Cancer Alliance, Minnesota Council of Health Plans, Minnesota Dental Association, MHA – Minnesota Hospital Association, Minnesota Medical Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Oral Health Coalition, Minnesota Public Health Association, Minnesota Society for Public Health Education, MNAAP – Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, ModelCities, NAMI Minnesota, North Memorial Health, NorthPoint Health & Wellness, Olmsted Medical Center, Open Cities Health Center, PartnerSHIP 4 Health, Perham Health & Living, Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, ShiftMN, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Steele County Public Health, Tobacco-Free Alliance, Twin Cities Medical Society, UCare, Vision In Living Life – Change is Possible, WellShare International and Zumbro Valley Medical Society. Find out more at: smokefreegenmn.org.