Edit: wait shit the menthol ban is fine it's only hitting the producers, this isn't a war on drugs thing

  • Optimismbias [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    The government tried to ban all flavored cigarettes some years back on the grounds it encouraged children to smoke.

    They didn't think about menthols. Whoops! Immediate cries of racism and the plan was cancelled. Disproportionate impact on blacks. Surprised to see it claw itself out of the grave again...it's still racist.

    • dead [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      It's racist for you to think that black people inherently smoke menthol cigarettes as a characteristic of being black, ignoring the fact that the cigarette companies spent decades manipulating black children with targetted advertising campaigns.

      • Optimismbias [none/use name]
        ·
        3 years ago

        The facts are that most people who buy menthols are black. Ergo, banning them has a disproportionate impact and is racist. I don't see what's changed since the last time they tried.

        Notice that nobody actually bothered to ask the Afro-American community how they felt about this.

        • dead [he/him]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Notice that nobody actually bothered to ask the Afro-American community how they felt about this.

          You could not be more wrong if you tried. The ban was lead by a black advocacy group.

          The FDA’s overdue response to the petition was prompted by a lawsuit filed by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the National Medical Association (NMA).

          https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/fda-agrees-ban-menthol-protect-african-americans

          https://www.savingblacklives.org/our-goal

          • Optimismbias [none/use name]
            ·
            3 years ago

            TIL 16 people is the Afro-American community. https://www.savingblacklives.org/about-us

            As usual, nobody bothered to ask them and just makes decisions on their behalf. Let's see where they're headquartered: White 54.2% Asian 24.0% Hispanic or Latino 10.4% Black 6.4%. March 2019 cost of living index in zip code 94107: 156.0 (very high, U.S. average is 100)

            Does this sound representative of the Afro-American community? Why or why not?

            • dead [he/him]
              ·
              3 years ago

              Wow. Once you learned that the ban was lead by black people, you try to disqualify those black people because they don't agree with you.

              You actually looked up their geographic location and then looked at the racial statistics in their area to determine if these specific people were black enough.

              • Optimismbias [none/use name]
                ·
                edit-2
                3 years ago

                because they don’t agree with you.

                Negative. Do they represent the Afro-American community? They're 16 people who are in an extremely wealthy area with few blacks.

                The other 3 organizations are as white as Wonder Bread.

                • dead [he/him]
                  ·
                  3 years ago

                  It's funny that you mention that because police organizations oppose the ban.

                  As you mention, it's doctors, black doctors, and other black advocacy groups who support the ban. Those who oppose the ban are police, black police, black capitalists, and convenience store owners.

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menthol_cigarette#Opposition_to_proposed_ban

                  Secondly, the ownership of menthol cigarettes is not being banned. Tobacco companies are being banned from selling menthol cigarettes. People will still be allowed to own and create their own menthol cigarettes.