"CDC's New Anti-Smoking Campaign Targets Menthol Cigarette Use"
The CDC has relaunched its Tips From Former Smokers campaign, featuring stories of former smokers, including those affected by menthol cigarettes, to encourage people to quit smoking. The campaign aims to address the disproportionate impact of menthol cigarettes on marginalized communities and the worsening tobacco-related health disparities. The federal government is considering a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, but the issue has stalled, frustrating anti-tobacco groups who see it as politics getting in the way of public health. Banning menthol cigarettes could save hundreds of thousands of lives, particularly in the Black community, and close the gap in lung cancer deaths between Black and White populations. The tobacco industry opposes the ban, citing potential criminal charges in Black communities, but public health and medical associations support the ban, emphasizing the devastating health toll caused by menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.