A center that promotes evidence-based methods of quitting tobacco use and that is associated with St. Joseph's Health in Syracuse, New York, has joined with the New York State Department of Health in opposing menthol cigarettes and the way their manufacturers
sell them in communities of color.
The state health department says menthol cigarettes are easier to start smoking, more addictive and more difficult to quit than cigarettes without menthol; and minority populations are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than majority populations.
The department also says in a report it released in September that tobacco companies
are using predatory marketing methods to sell menthol cigarettes in communities of color, and it is a matter of health equity to address this problem.
The health department’s report is titled "Menthol is Not Just a Flavor: Aggressive Marketing to Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Lower Income Communities Fuels Persistent Disparities in Menthol Cigarette Use." According to the report, 49% of New
York smokers usually smoke menthol cigarettes, and menthol cigarette use is highest among Black and Hispanic smokers. It is lowest among white smokers. Menthol cigarette smoking also is more prevalent among lower-income smokers.
St. Joseph's center is called the CNY Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems. The center serves 10 counties in central New York. It is part of a network of grantees covering 62 New York counties. The center's team works with health systems throughout
central New York to improve the reach and effectiveness of their evidence-based programs that help people quit using tobacco or nicotine. The work of the broader network of grantees also includes partnerships with community health centers, federally
qualified health centers, behavioral health facilities and other organizations serving vulnerable populations.
St. Joseph's is part of Trinity Health.