Report: Big Tobacco targets youth, communities of color in Solano
FAIRFIELD — More menthol cigarettes are sold in Solano than any other county in the state, the result – officials said – of a targeted marketing strategy toward communities of color and youth.
“Solano County – one of the most diverse counties in the country – has become a leading target of the tobacco industry,” Kirbee Brooks, the county Tobacco Prevention Project coordinator, said in a statement released Thursday by the county administration.
“Big Tobacco aggressively promotes menthol cigarettes, particularly among communities of color and the young. Mentholated tobacco products are typically aimed at people of color and our youth because menthol temporarily masks the harshness of tobacco smoke, making it easier for new users to get hooked,” he said in the statement.