The Connecticut General Assembly will consider a bill that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products in an attempt to reduce addiction, which disproportionately affects young adults and people of color.
The ban would target vape products with fruity flavors that are popular with young people. The bill would also prevent the sale of menthol flavored products. The tobacco industry has historically targeted the marketing of menthol products to African Americans, who have the highest use of menthol cigarettes out of any racial group.
“For many years I have watched my community suffer from the long-standing results of having this habit of smoking that they can’t seem to break; and we watch them suffer and lose their lives,” NAACP Bridgeport Chapter President Rev. D. Stanley Lord said during a press conference on Monday. “Families lose loved one’s because they have targeted the Black and Brown community.”
Nearly 20% of high school students and 5% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes, according to the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey. About 83% of e-cigarette users use flavored cartridges, including 85% of high school users and 74% of middle school users.
Alek Lewis – WSHU Public Radio – 2021-03-23.
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