The tobacco industry has a long history of aggressively targeting Hispanic and Latinx communities.
72% of people who identify as Hispanic who smoke use menthol cigarettes.1
70% of New Yorkers think targeted tobacco industry marketing to people who identify as Hispanic is a serious public health issue.2
9% of high school students who identify as Hispanic currently use any tobacco product.3
The tobacco industry has pushed its way into Hispanic communities by funding Hispanic cultural events, scholarships, political groups, and local merchants to increase menthol product visibility.4
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Menthol and quitting
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References:
1 New York State Department of Health Warns About Tobacco Industry’s Tactics of Using Menthol Flavoring to Target and Addict Black & LGBTQIA+ Communities and Kids New York State Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control, Bureau of Tobacco Control, March 7, 2023.
2 Prevalence of Menthol Cigarette Use among Adults Smokers by Race/Ethnicity. StatShot Vol. 14, No. 1 /Jan 2021, New York State Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control, Bureau of Tobacco Control
3 Hispanic and Latino People Experience a Health Burden from Commercial Tobacco Substance Abuse & Mental Health Data Archive. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2019.
4 A Historical Review of R. J. Reynolds’ Strategies for Marketing Tobacco to Hispanics in the United States, Am J Public Health, Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios, MA, MPH corresponding author and Mark Parascandola, PhD, MPH, 2013 May
