John, It's finally happening. On Tuesday, the full DC Council will vote on the bill to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products! This is the first of two full-council votes required to pass the bill. We need as many DC residents as possible to contact their council members today. Tell them to put the health of our kids over tobacco industry profits: |
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The facts are clear: - 81% of youth who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.
- 13% of DC high school students are using e-cigarettes, and nearly 10% of our high school boys are smoking cigars.
- Half of high school smokers use menthol cigarettes, which are easier for kids to start using and harder for smokers to quit.
- Due to heavy tobacco industry targeting, 85% of Black smokers now use menthol cigarettes. This has had devastating health impacts on Black communities.
- Cigars – which come in hundreds of sweet flavors – are now the most popular tobacco product among Black high school students and the second most popular tobacco product, after e-cigarettes, among all high school students.
And this is no accident. |
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Support this critical work by making a contribution today: |
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Tobacco companies have targeted Black Americans with menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars for decades. And now they're peddling e-cigarettes in more than 15,000 flavors, from gummy worm to cotton candy, and hooking kids with massive doses of nicotine.
