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submitted 2 years ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Eighty national public health groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Preventative Medicine, placed a full-page ad in Sunday’s edition of the Washington Post in support of a federal ban on menthol in cigarettes and all flavored cigars.

“The answer is clear,” the full-page ad says. “Saving lives starts by ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars.

“Smoking kills nearly half a million people in the United States each year, and these addictive, deadly products are a big part of the problem. The FDA and White House have our full support to release lifesaving rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars.”

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[-] ZombieTheZombieCat@lemm.ee 67 points 2 years ago

When are we going to start banning flavored alcohol like White Claw and Mike's while we're at it

[-] finthechat@kbin.social 33 points 2 years ago

Please don't joke this into existence

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 24 points 2 years ago

It worked out so well the last time we tried.

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[-] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 years ago

You do have a point but the danger is far higher on the tabaco side. Priorities and such, we won’t see anything like that for quite some time.

[-] MagicShel@programming.dev 31 points 2 years ago

Is it though? I'm pretty sure alcohol is the most destructive legal drug there is. But prohibition didn't go so great last time so don't take that as a call to start banning sweet alcohol, I just disagree with the assertion that tobacco is worse.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

According to global statistics, Alcohol was responsible for 5% of global deaths, while tobacco squeaked past with 8% of global deaths.

https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/29/2/200/5407688

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[-] Phegan@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

There ain't to laws when you cracking claws.

[-] Veedem@lemmy.world 39 points 2 years ago

I have maybe a cigar a month. Sometimes, a nice dipped cigar is enjoyable. It’d be a shame to just outright ban them.

[-] MagicShel@programming.dev 17 points 2 years ago

I sort of feel like this is the equivalent of banning white claws or even everything other than IPAs. During the summer I have a cigar most days. Once the temps drop below 60, I'm done with tobacco for six months or so. I don't smoke flavored cigars, but I don't like it for those who do.

[-] chaogomu@kbin.social 17 points 2 years ago

Tobacco is fucking horrible, but Menthol and other flavorings make it so much worse. They increase the likelihood of addiction massively.

And is always the case in public health, you don't put in rules to cater to the edge cases, you put in rules to protect the majority affected.

[-] sylver_dragon@lemmy.world 34 points 2 years ago

Because Prohibition worked out so well they first time. But yes, let's learn that lesson again, it's not like we haven't been having it reinforced over the last half-century with the War Ear Drugs.

But this time it will be different, right?

[-] Melkath@kbin.social 30 points 2 years ago

Tell me you're not a smoker without telling me you're not a smoker.

You clearly have no idea how tobacco addiction works.

Prohibition doesn't work. Mind your own fucking business.

[-] chaogomu@kbin.social 7 points 2 years ago

I can tell that you're addicted just by the vitriol in your response here.

Did you start of menthols and other flavored tobacco? Because that's how a lot of people start. Which is why people are pushing for a ban, so others won't be as hopelessly addicted as you are.

[-] Melkath@kbin.social 22 points 2 years ago

Fuck you.

It's my choice.

Mind your own fucking business you fucking asshole.

Here, childhood obesity is a MUCH larger issue than smoking.

Go ban all the artificial flavorings that are in all of the different bowls of sugar, ahem, breakfast cereals, that are shamefully aimed at children in an effort to give them diabetes, just leave the aisle full of plain rasin bran.

Do that and I'll believe it's about health and the kids and not simply a power trip controlling another person's choices.

A lifetime of doctors visits, insulin vials, insulin pumps, blood sugar meters, etc are bleeding this country FAR more than 80 year olds with lung cancer (that probably wasnt even caused by the tobacco).

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[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I personally was addicted before I ever had even a single puff, and plenty of others started the same way I did. I took a job to earn spending money as a 13 y/o kid cause I wanted Secret of Mana and that was a $60 or $70 game. So I went down the road to the nearest tobacco farm, and started stripping tobacco for $4.25 an hour. I left each 4 hour shift with about ½cm of black tar completely coating the palms and fingers of my hands. After two weeks cigarettes smelled good. I'm far from alone in this experience. So, no. Menthol and flavorings actually cause me to turn down cigarettes, I like the taste of tobacco.

You're just being ignorant and holier than thou.

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[-] stella@lemm.ee 9 points 2 years ago

Welcome to the 'all drugs are bad unless I do them' mentality.

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[-] Zippit@lemmy.world 36 points 2 years ago

This is hypocrisy. Let people smoke whatever they want. We're not living in the fifties, everybody and their mother knows nicotine kills.

What they don't get is that not everybody has a wonderful life and wants to live forever.

There are bans in place for kids, and adults should have the right to decide what they want. Ban flavoured alcohol too then.

[-] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 13 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You know, I don't really care what you smoke, but I care that it's communal. Somebody drinking wine, beer, a white claw, etc a few feet away doesn't immediately negatively impact my existence by depriving me of clean air ... or cause a friend with breathing issues a panic attack.

Plenty of adults "decide" to smoke for kids by smoking with the kids around.

Plenty of adults "decide" to smoke in the entrances of buildings, on busy sidewalks, in an outdoor mall, etc.

Plenty of adults have "decided" to smoke because it's "safe" per some anecdote that they heard about a family member that smoked 3 packs a day and lived to be 90.

It's actually all pretty freaking infuriating. One of the best things that's ever been done is banning smoking inside of most buildings.

At the very least the age should be raised to match alcohol.

[-] stella@lemm.ee 9 points 2 years ago

We see fewer and fewer of the adults you mention with each passing day.

I recall as a child seeing adults smoking all the time. Now it's a rare occurrence.

At the very least the age should be raised to match alcohol.

Jesus fucking christ, you people...

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[-] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 35 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Urgh, when they banned them in my country it was with this same stupid logic.

Now I don't smoke (quit 15ish years ago) but this idea that anything flavoured somehow MUST be for the purpose of marketing towards children is insane. It manages to be wrong in two opposite ways:

One: This implies that anything with flavor is not for adults and everyone over the age of majority goes home to enjoy our grey flavourless mush.

Two: This implies that the flavors involved must be what appeals most to children. You know those menthol and whisky tipped smokes that all the children go nuts for.

This logic falls apart (both ways) when you look at any other legal market like booze, weed or vape.

It is almost as if after the US lost the war on drugs they want to try again on a smaller scale.

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[-] Kiernian@lemmy.world 26 points 2 years ago

Like every time this comes up, this is straight up racism.

If they actually cared about protecting children, they'd put quality control restrictions on the fluids used in vape pens to prevent popcorn lung and the like BECAUSE KIDS DON'T REALLY SMOKE CIGARETTES ANYMORE.

You know who disproportionately smokes menthols and flavored cigarellos?

Black people.

If they actually had something against smoking, they'd ban ALL CIGARETTES.

If they were actually trying to protect kids, they'd go after what kids are using.

They're going after the smoke of choice for large portions of the black community.

What does that tell you?

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[-] youCanCallMeDragon@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago

People who think smokers smoke for the flavor are not in touch with reality. This will do nothing for public health.

[-] rchive@lemm.ee 7 points 2 years ago

I think it will. It will drive menthols underground and they'll become more dangerous just like alcohol during Prohibition.

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[-] DBT@artemis.camp 19 points 2 years ago

Non-menthol cigs are fine, we just can’t stand for the ones black people prefer.

[-] Thade780@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago
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[-] stella@lemm.ee 17 points 2 years ago

Sigh. The only good drugs are the ones I take.

Let's stop policing what people put in their bodies, eh?

[-] Zerlyna@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

I don’t smoke but isn’t flavored vape essentially the same and that is legal?

[-] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago

Lots of places are banning those too.

Which is really stupid, because they're also banning the zero-nicotine ones that aren't harmful and aren't addictive (though may be habit-forming in the same way as snacking or drinking any beverage). Also they're useful to people trying to quit smoking because even the ones with nicotine are far less harmful than smoking.

[-] pan_troglodytes@programming.dev 16 points 2 years ago

is it?

you have to invest quite a bit more than the $6 that a pack of menthol cigarettes is going to cost into a vaporizer setup.

vaporizers also dont use tobacco, but nicotine, and have varying levels of nicotine - some formulations have no nicotine. there's also no tar or the 400+ chemicals involved with burning tobacco.

[-] TurboDiesel@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

$6 that a pack of menthol cigarettes

Not sure where you are, but a pack is almost $25 here.

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[-] kttnpunk@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

Or you know, we could just regulate and test what goes into these products rather than create another black market for ones that will only inevitably be produced with even less quality overseas and imported

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You can't legislate morality, this isn't going to make people smoke less it will make people grumpy while smoking

[-] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

It's like people in this thread don't realize how massively addictive nicotine is? I see addicts all the time try to excuse their addictions with every excuse in the book. I was addicted once. It took every part of my soul to quit that shit. nicotine is a mistake many make and don't come back from and pretend it their choice shit should be band. Just due to it's addictive nature. Banned for the same reason lotterys are generat only owned by the state. Shits is a a great investment. People will kill themselves or others to give you money

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[-] HooPhuckenKarez@kbin.social 7 points 2 years ago

When they banned flavored cigarettes where I am, they had to make a carveout for menthol cigarettes. The claim at thie time was, banning menthol was racist because black people mostly smoke menthols. Early aughts ftr.

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this post was submitted on 05 Nov 2023
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