Opposition from prominent Black and civil rights groups is threatening to permanently derail Biden administration efforts to ban menthol cigarettes. The ban has also pitted organizations that…
For some reason I get an urge to stockpile cigs every time they announce this, despite smoking less than a pack a year and not smoking menthols at all. Weird hoarding instinct.
What’s one legitimate reason to protest the menthol cigarette ban?
Making money off the sale of menthol cigarettes isn’t a legitimate reason. That money could just as easily come from the sale of chocolates or meat products.
Funny though; when I saw this I thought the ban was on the sale of menthol itself, which seemed concerning and futile.
The bill doesn’t prevent that; it’s not illegal to possess or smoke menthol cigs, just to sell them.
And adults definitely shouldn’t be allowed to sell anything they want. We’ve been there; it never ends well.
However, in this case it’s likely that the bill is being used to target “potential sellers in possession” which is stupid and should result in real disciplinary action for any LEO that attempts it. Since it never will, there’s definitely a problem. But the problem isn’t really with limiting the sale of menthol cigs.
The bill doesn’t prevent that; it’s not illegal to possess or smoke menthol cigs, just to sell them.
Adult should be allowed to buy them. Making these illegal to sell infringes adults' ability to acquire them, even if you don't (always) throw them in prison when they do manage to get them.
But the problem isn’t really with limiting the sale of menthol cigs.
That exactly the problem, and none of the government's business.
Philip Morris, the world's largest tobacco company (whose largest brand is Marlboro) wrote that bill. The primary purpose was to ban vaping, but SCOTUS slapped that provision down. RJ Reynolds, owner of Camel, Virginia slims, and other brands was making inroads on Philip Morris' US market share with their lineup of flavored tobacco products, such as the popular "flavor crush" cigarettes.
Instead of competing in the market, they just got congress to outlaw their competition.... in exchange for hefty campaign contributions. Menthols were exempted because they are overwhelming consumed by smokers of color and Barack Obama was in office, so the optics were inconvenient.
The irony is that the justified for outlawing the flavors is that it would "save lives" so it was a tacit admission that the government cares far less about saving the lives of black people.
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