SACRAMENTO, CA – Leading health organizations, community groups and about 60 young people–-held a rally at Sacramento City Hall today, October 17, 2018, to oppose flavored tobacco products that the tobacco industry is using to lure youth into a lifetime of tobacco addiction.
The rally kicked off the SacKids vs. Big Tobacco campaign that calls for safeguards against a rising public health epidemic—flavored tobacco products including e-cigarettes and menthol-flavored cigarettes. The Sacramento City Council Law and Legislation Committee is expected to consider such protections during its October 23, 2018, hearing.
Menthol and candy-flavored tobacco products are a key part of the tobacco industry’s strategy to bait youth into becoming tomorrow’s addicts, and we cannot waste time addressing the skyrocketing use of e-cigarettes among Sacramento youth,” said American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Senior Government Relations Director Tim Gibbs. “Make no mistake—the industry shamelessly tries to maximize profits while its customers suffer death and disease, and local taxpayers continue to foot the bill for tobacco-related illnesses.”
According to a government study, 81 percent of kids who have ever tried tobacco started with a flavored product and 70 percent of current youth tobacco users have used a flavored tobacco product in the past month.
“I constantly urge my friends not to get hooked on e-cigarettes,” said Aditi Venkatesh, a youth ambassador who spoke at the event with 60 other young people standing behind her, many representing the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund and Breathe California. “The candy-flavored tobacco products are so enticing to kids, and the tobacco industry is marketing them that way just so our generation can replace the adults who smoke traditional cigarettes when they die off.”
San Francisco recently enacted the most comprehensive flavored tobacco sales restrictions in the country after a lengthy and brutal battle against Big Tobacco, which poured nearly $12 million into fighting the historic new law. Now, Big Tobacco is coming to Sacramento to fight similar protections for Sacramento kids who are being drawn by the thousands into tobacco addiction through these flavored “starter kits.”
Ending the sale of flavored tobacco products is an issue of both health and social justice. Young people who smoke menthol cigarettes are disproportionately African American, Asian American, LGBT and from low-income communities already significantly impacted by tobacco-related disease.
“Among the most serious challenges, tobacco companies have aggressively marketed menthol-flavored tobacco products to African Americans, often targeting youth,” said Dr. Phil Gardner, co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, who spoke at the event. “For too long the tobacco industry has successfully blocked our community from meaningful engagement in public health policy that addresses the needs of our community.”
The anesthetizing effect of menthol makes the smoke easier to inhale and masks the harsh taste of tobacco, making it more appealing to new users. A report by the Food and Drug Administration found that those who begin smoking menthol cigarettes are more likely to progress to regular smoking and have a higher level of nicotine dependence than those who begin with non-menthol cigarettes.
Smoking causes nearly half a million deaths annually in the United States, including about one-third of cancer deaths and deaths from other smoking-related illnesses such as heart and lung disease.
The SacKids vs. Big Tobacco rally was hosted by the local Sacramento Tobacco Prevention Coalition, as well as the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, American Lung Association in California, and Breathe California.
About the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council
Formed in 2008, the AATCLC partners with community stakeholders, elected officials, and public health agencies to inform the national direction of tobacco control policy, practices, and priorities, as they affect the lives of Black American and African immigrant populations. The AATCLC has been at the forefront of decreasing youth access to mentholated and other flavored tobacco products by elevating the regulation of these products on the local, state, and national tobacco. For more information, visit https://www.savingblacklives.org/.
About American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
About American Heart Association and American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About the American Lung Association in California
The American Lung Association in California is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through research, education and advocacy. The Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer, to improve the air we breathe, to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families, and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association in California or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-685-4872) or visit www.lung.org/california
About the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund
The mission of the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund is to improve health and save lives by reducing tobacco use, the number one cause of preventable death in the United States and around the world. We mount education, advocacy and electoral campaigns in support of public policies that prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit and protect everyone from secondhand smoke.
About Breathe California
Through grassroots education, advocacy and services, Breathe California fights lung disease, advocates for clean air and advances public health in our local communities. Since 1908, we have addressed the most serious health threats of our time through grassroots programs that empower individual, institutional and community change for better breathing and healthier living. We have local offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Monterey and Sacramento. Visit us: www.breathecalifornia.org