Delaware lawmakers urge the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes

  Lawmakers in Delaware are urging the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes, citing tobacco company marketing aimed at young people, especially Black communities.

According to a report by U.S. media outlet WMDT, Delaware lawmakers are calling on the FDA to immediately ban menthol cigarettes, a move that has sparked broad discussion about the steady push for flavored tobacco bans.

“It is no surprise that the tobacco industry will do anything for profit,” said Monica Brooks, president of the Wicomico County NAACP. Following continued evidence showing historical targeting of two different communities, U.S. lawmakers in Delaware have proposed banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Senator Chris Coons stated that tobacco companies have directed the marketing and distribution of flavored tobacco products toward teenagers aged 12 to 18, especially in Black communities, where menthol cigarettes and cigars are sold more frequently.

Senator Coons said that many organizations and community health advocates have expressed concern about the use of menthol tobacco among young Americans and Black communities, and they are calling not only for a ban in Delaware, but for a nationwide menthol ban across the United States.

Monica Brooks, president of the Wicomico County NAACP, pointed out that Big Tobacco has a long and deeply rooted history with Black communities.

Brooks said that continued use of menthol tobacco products increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. She also noted that “the leading cause of preventable death in Black communities is smoking, driven by the tobacco industry’s sponsorship of events, free product giveaways at festivals, and youth-targeted marketing strategies.”

Brooks praised Delaware lawmakers for pushing the FDA to ban flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes, saying the move would help protect the health of young people and Black communities.