National Alliance for Hispanic Health Applauds FDA's Proposed Regulations to Ban Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2022Move will prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths and recruitment of a new generation of smokers burdened by disease and early death

/PRNewswire/ -- "The evidence is clear — a ban on menthol will save lives. For far too long, the tobacco industry has targeted Hispanics, women, youth and other communities," said Jane L. Delgado, PhD, MS, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the Nation's leading Hispanic health advocacy group, in announcing the Alliance's support for FDA's proposed menthol regulations announced today.

"FDA must also eliminate menthol in e-cigarettes or else the tobacco industry will follow its playbook as it did following the 2020 FDA restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes that exempted menthol. The response was to double menthol e-cigarette email ads," added Dr. Delgado.

Eliminating menthol has been proven to reduce smoking rates, reduce cigarette sales, and save lives with studies showing that a menthol ban, like the one proposed by FDA, would lead 923,000 smokers to quit and could prevent 633,000 deaths. More than a third (34.7%) of Hispanic adult smokers use menthol cigarettes and have been targeted by the tobacco industry for decades. Menthol has also been shown to increase the appeal of tobacco, especially among youth, by masking unpleasant flavors and making cigarettes easier to use.

About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (The Alliance)
The Alliance is the nation's foremost science-based source of information and trusted advocate for the health of Hispanics in the United States with a mission to achieve the best health for all. For more information visit us at www.healthyamericas.org

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SOURCE National Alliance for Hispanic Health