Name: Opinion: End the sale of flavored tobacco products — now
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SKU: ctpost-com-69
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Opinion: End the sale of flavored tobacco products — now

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The tobacco industry’s long history of preying upon Black communities with menthol cigarettes is well-known and despicable. But tobacco’s insidious impact on brown communities is equally deplorable and calls out for strong action. Flavored tobacco products — e-cigarettes, cigars, chew and menthol cigarettes — all pose a threat to Latinos and Hispanics. And it’s time we end their sale to protect our kids and communities.As the executive director of Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders, an organization focused on Caribbean/Latinx youth, I see the struggles some of our youth face with tobacco use. BCYL is committed to helping youth and their families build the character and self-esteem they need to reach their full potential and value in society, but tobacco use, and the flavored tobacco products that hook our kids, threatens that mission.Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States and here in Connecticut. Menthol cigarettes are particularly damaging. Menthol masks the harshness of tobacco and makes it easier for people — especially kids — to start smoking and harder for them to quit. It’s no shock that half of Hispanic smokers (age 12 and above) use menthol cigarettes (compared with just 29 percent of whites).Cigars are the second most popular product among Hispanic youth. Five point six percent of Hispanic high schoolers smoke cigars, a rate one-third higher than among white youth. There are over 250 flavors of cigars that often lure kids. And their cheap pricing — sometimes as little as three for 99 cents — appeals all the more so to price-sensitive youth.Meanwhile, the youth e-cigarette crisis hasn’t spared the Hispanic community. E-cigarettes are the most popular product among Hispanic youth. Almost one in five Hispanic high schoolers (18.9 percent) use e-cigarettes, a rate more than double that of Black high schoolers. And we know that youth e-cigarette use is harmful and costly. The nicotine in these devices is incredibly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the mid-20s.And with over 15,000 flavors of e-cigarettes — from candy flavors like bubblegum and gummy worm to sweet and fruit flavors like mint and mango — kids are easily drawn in and hooked.Puerto Ricans are the predominant Hispanic population in Connecticut. And while Hispanics have lower smoking rates compared to other racial and ethnic groups, among Hispanic smokers, Puerto Ricans have the highest smoking rate. (The CDC’s National Health Interview Survey from 2009-2013 showed Puerto Rican smoking rates to be 60 percent higher than the overall smoking prevalence for Hispanics during that time period).What role has Big Tobacco played in all this? There is evidence that the tobacco industry has targeted Hispanics since at least the 1980s with its marketing of flavors. From 1998 to 2002, the Spanish-language version of People magazine was 2.6 times more likely to have menthol cigarette ads than the English version. And 60 percent of the cigarette ads in the Spanish versions were for Kool and Newport, popular menthol brands.Other targeted campaigns included several by R.J. Reynolds focused on specific brands, like their Nuestra Gente campaign for Winston, their Kool Be True campaign, which targeted Black and Hispanic youth, as well as their Camel Un Tipo Suave (Smooth Moves) campaign, which appropriated “integral portions of the Hispanic lifestyle,” including live music and festivals featuring Hispanic entertainers — all to target our kids.While many of these actions occurred years ago, we can see the results of the industry’s handiwork in the health consequences of tobacco use among Hispanic Americans today.Hispanics are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the United States, and smoking is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among our population.The CDC reports that cancer, heart disease and stroke — all of which may be caused by smoking — are among the five leading causes of death among Hispanics. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among Hispanics; the risk of developing diabetes is 30 percent to 40 percent higher for cigarette smokers than nonsmokers.More than 43,000 Hispanics are diagnosed with a tobacco-related cancer each year, and more than 18,000 die from a tobacco-related cancer each year.Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic men and the second leading cause among Hispanic women.The Bridgeport City Council and the Connecticut state Legislature are considering legislation that would prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products. For the sake and future of all our kids, please enact these proposals into law.John Torres is executive director of Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders.

The tobacco industry’s long history of preying upon Black communities with menthol cigarettes is well-known and despicable. But tobacco’s insidious impact on brown communities is equally deplorable and calls out for strong action. Flavored tobacco products — e-cigarettes, cigars, chew and menthol cigarettes — all pose a threat to Latinos and Hispanics. And it’s time we end their sale to protect our kids and communities.As the executive director of Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders, an organization focused on Caribbean/Latinx youth, I see the struggles some of our youth face with tobacco use....

Opinion: End the sale of flavored tobacco products — now

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