In the lead-up to the South Carolina primary, a conservative group is eyeing the state as a valuable testing ground for messages opposing the US Food and Drug Administration’s proposed menthol cigarette ban, something they hope will chip away at President Joe Biden’s Black vote.
The ad shows headlines related to Eric Garner, who died after police held him in a chokehold. Police initially confronted Garner for allegedly selling cigarettes illegally.
For real? Using a police brutality tragedy of a POC that is tangentially related to cigarettes to push something you don’t actually give a fuck either way about just to make Biden look bad? I hope voters see right through this as the same disingenuous, cultural war bullshit that republicans always pull because they can’t win on real issues.
Also, I’m no Biden fan, but I hate Big Tobacco even more, so I hope this goes through, and I hope they go after vapes directly marketing to children next. Menthol is all about making it easier to avoid noticing the direct effects of smoking on their body. A company making something dangerous should not be allowed to do that. You want to do it on your own, go ahead! But for a manufacturer, who has a history of shady dealings regarding downplaying the health risks of their products, this should be seen as another example of that. Speaking of shady dealings, I would be shocked if Big Tobacco did not have a direct hand in this ad campaign.
Cigarettes themselves began as a “less harmful” way of consuming tobacco, with all the included filters, cough medicine, the messaging about how “smooth” they are, and then menthol as a last twist, all to get people as addicted as possible (“got a sore throat? try a cigarette!”… it will calm your throat while you smoke it, then leave it even more irritated… so maybe you smoke another one).
BTW, menthol cigarettes have been banned in the EU since 2020 (should have been 2016, but whatever). TIL they aren’t yet in the US… but then again, guess not much of a surprise there.
For real? Using a police brutality tragedy of a POC that is tangentially related to cigarettes to push something you don’t actually give a fuck either way about just to make Biden look bad? I hope voters see right through this as the same disingenuous, cultural war bullshit that republicans always pull because they can’t win on real issues.
Also, I’m no Biden fan, but I hate Big Tobacco even more, so I hope this goes through, and I hope they go after vapes directly marketing to children next. Menthol is all about making it easier to avoid noticing the direct effects of smoking on their body. A company making something dangerous should not be allowed to do that. You want to do it on your own, go ahead! But for a manufacturer, who has a history of shady dealings regarding downplaying the health risks of their products, this should be seen as another example of that. Speaking of shady dealings, I would be shocked if Big Tobacco did not have a direct hand in this ad campaign.
Cigarettes themselves began as a “less harmful” way of consuming tobacco, with all the included filters, cough medicine, the messaging about how “smooth” they are, and then menthol as a last twist, all to get people as addicted as possible (“got a sore throat? try a cigarette!”… it will calm your throat while you smoke it, then leave it even more irritated… so maybe you smoke another one).
BTW, menthol cigarettes have been banned in the EU since 2020 (should have been 2016, but whatever). TIL they aren’t yet in the US… but then again, guess not much of a surprise there.
Back in 2009, we banned all flavored cigarettes, but there was a specific exception for menthol.
Source, no paywall