What You Should Know…
Menthol flavored tobacco use in the Black Community has been a public health crisis since the 1950’s when Commercial Tobacco began its predatory marketing tactics directly targeting the Black Community. As of 2021 approximately 85% of Black smokers smoke menthol tobacco products. Through manipulation, marketing, and money Commercial Tobacco has negatively affected the health and well-being of the Black/African American Community.
Tobacco/Nicotine use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Tobacco/Nicotine use is a major contributor to the 3 leading causes of death among African American–heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Diabetes is the 4th leading cause of death among African Americans. The risk of developing diabetes is 30–40% higher for cigarette smokers than non-smokers.
Per a study in the American Journal of Public Health, it was suggested that preventing the sale of menthol cigarettes in the United States would lead to an additional 923,000 smokers quitting, including 230,000 African Americans in the first 13 to 17 months after a ban goes into effect. That’s why the Colorado Black Health Collaborative is fervently working to address this menthol tobacco social justice issue, because it matters! Fighting to SAVE LIVES!
Join the CBHC Coalition Today
The Colorado Black Health Collaborative (CBHC) Coalition is a united group of grassroots community members, and representatives from community and health organizations focused on the health and well-being of the Community. The Coalition is working to raise awareness, to educate and take action against the predatory marketing of menthol (and other flavored) tobacco products in our Community.
Overview
The Menthol Tobacco Knockout Page provides tobacco prevention information to educate and inform the Community about the menthol tobacco social justice issue. This Page will provide the following content.
- Media – videos about the menthol tobacco social justice issue.
- Education & Information – historical information, fact sheets, etc.
- Tackling Menthol in the Black Community (TMBC) Project Newsletter.
- Resources – helpful websites.
- Cessation Resources & Services (COMING SOON!)
- TMBC Project Toolkit (COMING SOON!)
- Press Releases & Editorials.
- Community Happenings – Calendar of Events.
*New* Quiz: How Much Do You Know?
Did You Know This About Teen Smoking?
What do you know about the harm of the Tobacco Industry to the Black Community?
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Stay up to date on the TMBC content, watch our media feeds, and continue learning how we can continue the fight against menthol in our communities.
Media
Real Talk Menthol Moment Spotlight Interviews
Policy Talks
Anatomy of Menthol Tobacco Policy Talk
Welcome to the Anatomy of Menthol Tobacco Policy Talk with Martha Yohannes. This is a new series where we look at tobacco and prevention from a policy lens to better inform and educate the community.
Martha Yohannes is the Tobacco Information Specialist for the Colorado Black Health Collaborative (CBHC) and host of these discussions about the menthol and other public health policy concerns in the black community. CBHC’s mission is to achieve health equity in Colorado’s Black community.
Tackling Menthol in the Black Community Project Symposiums/Webinars
Rise Up! A Virtual Discussion on Racism, Voting, COVID-19 and Tackling the Effects of Menthol Tobacco on the Black Community occurred on October 31, 2020. Featuring ‘Still we Rise’ an Afromation Poem by Theo Wilson.
Rising Above the Smoke! Why Menthol is a Social Justice Issue Symposium
CBHC Coalition Special Session: Speaking Truth to Power
There’s power in telling your story! View our special CBHC Coalition special session entitled, ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ that took place on September 22th, 2021 in collaboration with the Flavors Hook Kids Denver Campaign. Special thanks to Rebecca Dubroff with the American Heart Association and our special session presenter Stephanie Clarke, founder of Shed Light: Storytelling for Social Impact.
Watch: How Long Will You Target Me?
Tobacco companies are targeting our families. Flavored tobacco products, like menthol, are being used to hook people of color on a lifetime of nicotine addiction. Why flavors? Because they make tobacco products easier to smoke and harder to quit. Give your family a chance to live a full, healthy life.
“How Long Will You Target Me” is a spoken word piece about how the tobacco industry uses flavored tobacco to target the Black Community and other communities of color. Many thanks to spoken word artist, Ryon Everidge, for creating this original piece and shining a light on the importance of eliminating the sale of flavored tobacco products.
Education & Information
Breaking Down the Menthol Tobacco Social Justice Issue
A History of the Problem
Did you know? For many decades Big Tobacco conspired to addict the Black Community to menthol tobacco products. Click the image to read more and rise above the smoke.
Menthol Tobacco Fact Sheets
Click a thumbnail below to view the full infographic.
The Flavor Trap: 85% of black deaths from tobacco are from menthol use.
Marketing, Manipulation, & Money: Impact of Tobacco ads on the black community.
Menthol Tobacco Use in the Black community: Black health disparities.
Nicotine: The Chemical in Tobacco that gets you hooked.
TMBC Project Newsletter
March 2021
May 2021
Feb 2022
Cessation Resources
Cessation
(/seˈsāSH(ə)n/) noun: the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.
Menthol tobacco/nicotine products are highly addictive and make it extremely hard to quit. The addiction is real and African Americans have more difficulty quitting tobacco/nicotine products compared to other racial/ethnic groups. While more African American adult smokers want to quit and more make quit attempts compared to White or Hispanic/Latino smokers, African Americans successfully quit at a lower rate. To help, CBHC is providing the following vetted culturally competent tobacco cessation services/resources to assist Black/African American smokers to successfully quit the use of menthol (and other flavored) tobacco/nicotine products.
The Colorado QuitLine
A free telephone coaching service that connects people who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco products to an experienced Quit Coach (trained Counselor). Along with individualized coaching, the telephone service offers a free supply of nicotine patches or gum. The service is free to people calling from anywhere in Colorado. Click below to hear Denise’s perspective on quitting.
To view the remaining cessation resources click here to be directed to the CBHC’s FLOWDenver.org Microsite
Resources
- The Center for Black Health & Equity is committed to the pursuit of health justice for people of African descent.
- The Fight Against Menthol: Menthol – The Center for Black Health & Equity
- Tobacco: Tobacco – The Center for Black Health & Equity
- Replay to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Response on Menthol: FDA Response Presser
The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) educates the public about the effects of tobacco on Black American and African Immigrant populations, the tobacco industry’s predatory marketing tactics, and the need to regulate the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco products.
Saving Black Lives – Promoting Healthy Black Communities Locally & Globally: Home | savingblacklives
The Public Health Law Center supports commercial tobacco control policy change and the commercial tobacco control movement throughout the United States, developing resources on the most effective legal policy measures that health leaders and policymakers can use to control the epidemic of commercial tobacco use in the United States and abroad.
Commercial Tobacco Control – Commercial Tobacco Control | Public Health Law Center
Tackling Menthol in the Black Community Toolkit
With a focus on health equity, especially for the Black Community, this Toolkit provides information and resources for those working in the tobacco/nicotine prevention space. The purpose for the Toolkit is to aid in educating, informing, organizing, mobilizing, and taking action to help save lives. This Toolkit is a living document that will evolve with updates and the addition of new content over time.