NC lawmaker to feds: Hands off menthol cigarettes

A Black North Carolina lawmaker wants the federal government to leave menthol cigarettes alone.

Rep. Don Davis, who represents the 1st Congressional District, where tobacco-related jobs are a major economic engine, opposes a ban. He told his House colleagues last week that the Food and Drug Administration’s planned prohibition of menthol cigarettes would harm his constituents’ economic well-being.

“I want to make clear,” said Davis, who along with Alma Adams of Charlotte are the only Black lawmakers in North Carolina’s congressional delegation, “I came to Congress to champion jobs, not get rid of them.  If finalized, this rule would rip jobs away from eastern North Carolina and our state. We must be concerned about health and economic wellness – it's about the 27,000 jobs in North Carolina that hang in the balance.” 

Anti-smoking advocates want menthol-flavored cigarettes prohibited, especially because the tobacco industry markets the additive to young people and Black smokers. The flavor produces a cooling sensation popular among new smokers.   

Cigarette smoking has decreased in North Carolina in recent years, with 16.5% of residents identifying as smokers. Tobacco-related products are the leading cause of death and disease in the state.  
Davis, who along with Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican whose district includes Wilmington and Fayetteville, sent a letter to President Joe Biden last year expressing concern about the FDA’s plan to outlaw menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars and its impact on the state’s working families and farmers.

Davis and Rouzer are members of the House Agriculture Committee.  

Menthol cigarettes, Davis said, “support over 6,000 jobs, with 2,000 in manufacturing alone. These jobs aren't just numbers; they represent people, families, homes, and the American dream. It’s about how we put food on the table and send our kids to school.”  

Tobacco-related manufacturing is integral to North Carolina’s economy, especially in the east. It was the state’s top industry in the 20th century and menthol-flavored cigarettes are responsible for 27,000 jobs, according to economic studies consultant John Dunham & Associates.  Davis, though, insists he’ll continue to oppose a ban.

“Wiping out these jobs is unacceptable,” he said.