John,

I'm excited to share an insightful new video interview with Dr. Larider Ruffin of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). In this conversation, Dr. Ruffin discusses the impact of tobacco use on communities of color, cessation resources for impacted communities and how we can all work together to achieve a healthier, tobacco-free future.

Dr. Ruffin is chair of the NBNA’s Substance Use Disorders Committee. He also chairs the MSN program at Stockton University and is CEO at Ruffin Associates Healthy Housecalls where he maintains clinical practice as a Nurse Practitioner and Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist.

Nurses are on the front lines of health care, and Dr. Ruffin is no stranger to the toll of tobacco use and the tactics used by Big Tobacco to keep people addicted. Helping people quit tobacco has been a lifelong mission, whether directly through patient treatment or through the National Black Nurses Association's Smoking & Vaping Cessation program that he developed.

Check out the conversation:

"I applaud the FDA for taking the steps to ban menthol, which is the last allowable flavor in cigarettes. And banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products. We will be able to save our youth from tobacco with these actions."

This interview is the latest installment of The Take Down: Unfiltered Conversations About Tobacco – part of our Campaign for the Culture, an initiative focused on uniting, empowering, educating and engaging people of color and other targeted communities around critical healthcare and human rights issues connected to tobacco use. Learn more >>

Sincerely,

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