By Lorraine Lathen, M.A.
The legislation passed, and now Wisconsin has been smoke-free for 103 days. But the fight against smoking-induced adversity is not over. Both locally and nationally, lawmakers are deliberating over smoking regulations, and while Wisconsinites are adjusting to the new law, much is being said about menthol cigarettes as well as disparities in marketing practices, cigarette smoking and health conditions.
Wisconsin, having more than 915,000 smokers, loses nearly 7,000 people each year because of smoking-related causes. If that’s not enough to ignite action, read this: 751 residents die from secondhand smoke, maternal smoking and fires each year, and even more alarming, 6,900 minors become daily smokers every year. In our state, 15 percent of pregnant women smoke, 25 percent of adolescents smoke and 33 percent of African American adults smoke. We have a serious problem, and the new law is only one step in the right direction.
In 2009, the FDA was given authority to regulate tobacco products, and as a result, all tobacco flavorings except for menthol were banned because of concerns that the flavors enticed minors to start smoking. This year, menthol cigarettes also fell under scrutiny. The popular yet deadly cigarette flavor has risen from 31 percent of all smokers in 2004 to 34 percent in 2008. The tobacco industry heavily markets to African Americans, and these marketing practices have contributed to this increase. Another cause for the increase is its masking flavor, which is said to make starting to smoke easier. The FDA is considering what, if anything, to do about menthol; they could limit the amount of menthol used in cigarettes or ban it completely.
In the 1960’s, the tobacco industry found that African Americans smoked more menthol cigarettes than non-mentholated cigarettes. As a result of their findings, they began marketing menthol-flavored cigarettes in African American communities as well as in highly segregated urban communities. They also began placing more products and offering bigger discounts in these communities. Sadly, they have not stopped these marketing practices since. Mentholated cigarettes provide a cooling sensation that masks the harshness and irritation of cigarettes and gives smokers the ability to inhale more deeply. Because smokers inhale more deeply, their addictions tend to be stronger than those who smoke regular cigarettes. These qualities make menthol cigarettes more deadly than non-mentholated cigarettes.
With almost one out of four people in the city being smokers, and many of our African Americans smoking menthol cigarettes, Milwaukee has one of the highest smoking communities—resulting in two smoking related deaths per day. The higher percentage of African American smokers inevitably leads to disparities in smoking-related illnesses and, ultimately, preventable deaths. African Americans have higher rates of lung cancer and heart diseases, and both are consequences of smoking.
Despite implementation of the smoke-free air law, we have more work to do. Although our annual tax collections from smokers are at an all-time high ($696 million from June 2009 to May 2010), less than one percent of that revenue is allocated to providing services to treat and prevent tobacco addition. States that have reduced tobacco control funding, such as Florida and Massachusetts, have had increased smoking rates; Wisconsin risks following that path.
It is clear that the tobacco industry is not giving up, so tobacco prevention and control efforts are more important now than ever. Fight back today. Fight by quitting your smoking habit or helping someone you know quit his or hers. Fight by volunteering with tobacco free coalitions like the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network (WAATPN). Fight by talking to local, state and federal lawmakers and writing to local newspapers about the impact of menthol in your community and the importance of funding to support our state’s tobacco prevention and control program. For the health and wellness of our community, we must fight back to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use in our communities.
Lorraine Lathen is president of Jump at the Sun Consultants, LLC. She and Pastor Lee Shaw of St. Gabriel’s Church of God in Christ are the conveners of the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network (WAATPN).
