A joint investigation has learned that Newport cigarette maker Reynolds American has hired Black lobbyists and influenced grass-roots groups to help fan fears among Black communities about menthol bans.
The City of Denver is considering a flavored-tobacco ban that could end up prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes, flavored vaping products and flavored cigars, among other products. The biggest area of concern for us is that one in five kids use vape products regularly, says Tristan Sanders, public-health manager at the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, citing data from a Healthy Kids Colorado survey. And according to the Food and Drug Administration, eight in ten kids who vape use flavored products. What these kids are interested in, and why they re using these products, kind of centers around them being flavored and attractive to kids, he adds.