CORRESPONDENCE - #27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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T'he African mericai- Tobacco � 2aT Control Leadership ound"I March 1, 2022 To: Mayor Vicente Sarmiento, Councilmember Thai Viet Phan, Councilmember David Penaloza, Councilmember Jessie Lopez, Councilmember Phil Bacerra, Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez, Councilmember Nelida Mendoza From: The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council Re: Prohibit the Sale of Menthol and all Other Flavored Tobacco Products. No Exemptions:All Flavors,All Products,All Locations! The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) strongly encourages the Santa Ana City Council to prohibit the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco products. No exemptions. We are glad to see that the Council is finally addressing this issue and it couldn't come at a better time. We already know that 80% of youth, 12-17 start smoking using flavored cigarettes (Ambrose et al., 2015). Indeed, in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic nothing could be more important than getting these products out of our community. We already know that smokers are more susceptible to COVID infection (CDC, 2020). If the Council truly wants a healthier Santa Ana, and we believe that you do, then it is imperative that the sale of menthol and all other flavored tobacco products be prevented and that the predatory marketing of these products be stopped and be recognized as a social injustice; an issue that disproportionately impacts poorer communities, marginalized groups, youths and communities of color. Menthol the Ultimate Candy Flavor; It Helps the Poison Go Down Easier! This is no minor matter. Menthol and flavored tobacco products are driving tobacco-related deaths and diseases nation-wide. While the use of non-flavored tobacco cigarettes has been decreasing, the use of menthol cigarettes is on the rise, among youth and adults; among Latinos, Blacks, and Whites (Villanti, 2016). Let's be clear, the majority of women smokers smoke menthol cigarettes; folks from the LGBTQ community disproportionately smoke these products; 47% of Latino smokers prefer menthol cigarettes, with 62% of Puerto Rican smokers using menthol; nearly 80% of Native Hawaiians; a majority of Filipinos; and a majority of smokers with behavioral health issues smoke menthol cigarettes. Frankly, the most marginalized groups disproportionately use these so-called "minty" products (CDC, 2010; Fallin, 2015; Forbes, 2013; Delnevo, 2011; Hawaii State Dept. of Health, 2009; Euromonitor, 2008; Hickman, 2015). Be appraised that 85%African American adults and 94% of Black youth who smoke are using menthol products (Giovino, 2013). These striking statistics arise from the predatory marketing of these products in the Black Community, where there are more advertisements, more lucrative