February 27, 2020

We're at a critical time in Black history, especially for Black tobacco users. This week in the House of Representatives, we will be voting on The Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act (H.R. 2339). While this bill would be beneficial in curbing youth tobacco use, there are some glaring unintended, dire consequences for communities of color with this legislation.

While I would love to assume the best intentions of all involved parties and hope for the best in regard to enforcement, lived experience demands caution. In the world created by this asymmetrical ban where menthol tobacco products provide justification for police stops, I fear that we would hand law enforcement another excuse to harass, detain and otherwise endanger marginalized communities. Despite the clear health benefits of this ban, I cannot in good conscious expose already vulnerable communities to this risk. Read my full op-ed in The Hill here.

Read my op-ed here: "Youth tobacco use legislation would have unintended life-or-death consequences for Black tobacco users"

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