A recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that the majority of adults in the United States favor policies that limit the sale of menthol cigarettes and all tobacco products.
The study, conducted by the CDC and published Thursday in the peer-reviewed electronic journal Preventing Chronic Disease, analyzed the support for commercial tobacco retail practices among 6,455 adult Americans.
Banning Sales Of Tobacco Products
Overall, over 57% of individuals supported a ban on the sale of all tobacco products, while approximately 62% supported a ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes. The majority of respondents supported tobacco retail policies aimed at preventing initiation, encouraging cessation, and eliminating inequities related to tobacco use, according to the study.
These results can guide federal, state, and local efforts to ban the sale of tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The poll revealed that policy support varied by demographic group and current tobacco product use.
Researchers from the CDC discovered that a ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes was supported across all demographic categories. According to the study, support for tobacco sales prohibitions was lowest among current tobacco product users.
The paper claims that marketing and advertising for commercial tobacco products, particularly those containing menthol, disproportionately targets racial and ethnic minorities, children, and those who identify as LGBTQ+.
According to the study, Our results are generally consistent with prior research showing support for menthol cigarette sales prohibitions, including among population groups historically targeted by unfair marketing techniques and with a high prevalence of menthol cigarette use (for example non-Hispanic Black adults).
Before the Food and Drug Administration suggested a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in 2022, the poll was done in 2021.
The FDA stated in its release regarding the proposed ban that laws banning tobacco products would stop adolescents from becoming the next generation of smokers” and would greatly lessen health inequities associated with tobacco use.
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Implemented Laws In States
Some states have already implemented bans or restrictions on the sale of tobacco products, while the FDA is still evaluating its proposal.
In 2019, Massachusetts became the first state to limit the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island outlawed the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes the next year.
In 2022, Californians approved a ballot initiative prohibiting the sale of flavored and menthol tobacco products in retail stores and vending machines.
Despite a drop in cigarette smoking in the United States since 2005, the CDC reports that over 30,8 million individuals smoke cigarettes and more than 16 million Americans live with smoking-related diseases.
According to the CDC, cigarette smoking remains the greatest cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. Approximately 1 in 5 deaths, or more than 480,000 per year, are due to cigarette smoking.
