Tobacco Kills Afro America

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Around 72% of Black adult smokers and 88% of Black youth smokers in the U.S. report smoking menthol cigarettes (compared to a respective 22% and 26% of white smokers). This isn’t because Black people prefer menthol; it’s because of calculated, racist marketing by Big Tobacco.

Tobacco companies have been targeting Black consumers with menthol cigarette marketing for decades. Menthol cigarettes have been found to be harder to quit than non-flavored cigarettes, perhaps accounting for part of the disparity in successful quit attempts in the U.S., where Black people are less successful at quitting compared to white and Hispanic smokers, despite more quit attempts.

Even so, Big Tobacco continues to push back against calls to ban menthols and put forth feeble attempts to win the good graces of Black consumers. Altria, the parent company of the largest tobacco company in the U.S., Philip Morris USA, recently committed $5 million to “fight racial inequality” in the U.S. In comparison, the industry has spent billions on predatory marketing to Black people over decades and profits enormously off the sale of menthol tobacco.

Big Tobacco exploits Black communities

Just as tobacco companies aim to addict Black individuals to their deadly products, they also exploit Black communities as a whole. A 2002 study concluded that the tobacco industry sought partnerships with Black leadership organizations, ultimately, to increase tobacco use among Black people, and convince Black people to defend industry-backed policy and fight back against tobacco control.

Further, leaked documents from 2000 show that Philip Morris International identified leaders in Black communities as “influential on political thinking” and sought to “develop relationships with them and ‘educate’ them.” In Indonesia, Philip Morris tirelessly try to give influence to every candidate in every General Election / National Election.

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Big Tobacco exploits at the neighborhood level, too. Many studies show that predominantly Black neighborhoods are exposed to more tobacco advertising and have more tobacco retailers.

A 2011 study also showed that the prices of Newport menthol cigarettes were significantly lower in predominately Black neighborhoods, making them more accessible.

These injustices continue today because the tobacco industry hasn’t been held to account. Weak attempts to use so-called corporate social responsibility activities to distract from the industry’s past and ongoing exploitation aren’t going to work.

If tobacco companies are truly committed to addressing systemic racism, they should demonstrate that they believe Black lives matter, and stop fighting menthol bans, end predatory marketing, cease the exploitation of entire communities and end the poverty cycle they perpetuate throughout their supply chain.