The PHPC announced its support for the FDA’s proposals to to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes and all flavored cigar products. Prohibiting menthol and characterizing flavors in tobacco is an essential step in mitigating the harmful effects of tobacco in Pennsylvania. Tobacco products kill 22,000 Pennsylvanians every year, creating significant health and economic burdens for residents, families, businesses, and communities.
Flavorings mask and reduce the harshness of cigarette smoking, increasing the amount of harmful chemicals absorbed into the body while smoking and enhancing the addictive effects of nicotine in the brain. Predatory marketing by tobacco companies has targeted youth, Black and Latinx communities, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and those who live at or below the Federal Poverty Line. Comprehensive tobacco control policies help achieve health equity by reducing disparities among groups most affected by tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.
Removing these products from the marketplace will improve the public health of all Pennsylvanians.