Big Tobacco used George Floyd’s murder to stoke fear about menthol ban among Black smokers

Big Tobacco used George Floyd’s murder to stoke fear about menthol ban among Black smokers

The Los Angeles Times recently published a revealing story about how the tobacco industry has used the deaths of George Floyd and Eric Garner at the hands of police to alarm Black smokers about proposals to prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes. Paid lobbyists for Big Tobacco have suggested to legislators that banning menthol would invite additional brutality by police against smokers and worsen racism. Read the story.