NC lawmakers to US: Hands off menthol cigarettes

A pair of North Carolina lawmakers want the Food and Drug Administration to end a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes.

U.S. Reps. Don Davis and David Rouzer, who are members of the House Committee on Agriculture, sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing concern about the FDA’s proposed rule to outlaw menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars and its impact on the state’s working families and farmers.

"My path of working in the tobacco fields of eastern North Carolina to walking the halls of Congress was only made possible by the employment opportunities I had as a young child,” Davis, whose district includes northeast North Carolina, said in a statement.  “Not only would the proposed ban on menthol cigarettes increase the presence of illicit tobacco products on the market, it would also put eastern North Carolinians out of work without any viable employment alternatives.”

The letter reads in part: “The menthol cigarette industry is responsible for 27,000 jobs in North Carolina alone. The production and sale of menthol cigarettes account for over 6,000 of those jobs, with more than 2,000 in manufacturing. Each one of these jobs represents the opportunity to buy a home, send a child to college, and provide a thriving life for their family. If [The Office of Management and Budget] were to approve the FDA’s proposed final rule banning the sale of menthol cigarettes, each one of those jobs and the economic opportunity they bring would be lost. Throughout the state, this loss would mirror the struggle we experienced during the mass exodus of the textile and furniture industries over the past three decades.”

Cigarette smoking has decreased in North Carolina in recent years, with 16.5% of residents identifying as smokers. Tobacco is the leading cause of death and disease in the state.

Anti-smoking advocates want menthol smokes banned, especially because the tobacco industry uses flavoring to target the young and communities of color. Menthol is a minty flavor that makes cigarettes attractive, especially to Black smokers. The flavor also produces a cooling sensation that is popular among people who are new to smoking.  

Tobacco industry marketing of menthol cigarettes has particularly been aimed at African Americans.  Menthol cigarettes constitute about one-third of the American cigarette market.

Tobacco and industry-related jobs such as cultivation and manufacturing are ingrained in North Carolina’s economics and culture. It was the state’s top industry throughout the 20th century and the menthol cigarette industry is responsible for 27,000 jobs in the state today, according to economic studies consultant John Dunham & Associates.

Production and sale of menthol cigarettes account for more than 6,000 jobs, including more than 2,000 in manufacturing. The lawmakers were joined by farming groups in opposing a ban, saying it would hurt farmers, especially Black farmers.

“This is a clear attack on North Carolina's farm families and thousands of hardworking residents,” Rouzer said. “The tobacco industry has brought generations out of poverty, sent children to college, and solidified North Carolina as the epicenter of a global enterprise. President Biden and his Administration must understand the immense impact this ban would have on the communities across our state who have relied upon tobacco production to support their livelihoods and weigh such an impact before any further action.”