They Targeted Us! Now They’re Targeting Our Kids: Tobacco and Youth
When we talk about tobacco in Black and African American communities, we have to be honest: this did not happen by accident.
For decades, tobacco companies have specifically marketed menthol cigarettes to Black communities. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents advertising in Black-owned magazines and newspapers, direct-mail promotions, lower prices, giveaways, event sponsorships, and ads that used Black models, hip-hop, and language associated with Black culture. These were business decisions. Companies used research to identify who they believed would buy their products and then built marketing around those customers.
Menthol was a big part of that plan. Menthol creates a cooling feeling that can make cigarette smoke feel less harsh. Tobacco companies have marketed menthol cigarettes as “smooth,” but smooth does not mean safe. Menthol cigarettes are not safer than other cigarettes. Menthol can make smoke easier to inhale, can affect the brain’s response to nicotine, and can make quitting harder for some people.
The impact of this marketing can still be seen today. According to the CDC, about 81% of Black adults who smoke cigarettes use menthol cigarettes. That number did not come out of nowhere. It developed after years of menthol products being made more visible, affordable, and appealing in Black communities.
This is not about blaming people who smoke. It is about understanding the environment that companies helped create and the way they have made money from it.
Now we also have to talk about youth.
Young people are still being exposed to tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, vapes, flavored cigars, and nicotine pouches. Most people who smoke cigarettes began during adolescence or young adulthood. The CDC also reports that young people are more likely to try a menthol cigarette as their first cigarette than a non-menthol cigarette, and those who start with menthol may be more likely to keep smoking.
Colorado’s 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey gives us a picture of what is happening statewide. Among Colorado high school students, 3% said they had smoked cigarettes in the past month, and 9% said they had vaped in the past month. Among high school students who had smoked cigarettes in the past month, 29% reported smoking menthol cigarettes. Among middle school students, 6% said they had vaped in the past month.
Those numbers do not tell every young person’s story, and statewide data do not show us everything about Black
youth in Colorado. But they do show that tobacco and nicotine use are still part of the lives of Colorado students.
The connection to Black youth is important. The CDC reports that tobacco companies have targeted both young people and Black
communities. It also reports that stores near schools with more Black students have been more likely to promote menthol cigarettes through advertising and discounts. That means we should pay attention not only to what tobacco products young people use, but also to what they see around them: in stores, online, in their neighborhoods, and in the messages built around certain products.
Tobacco companies have spent decades learning how to sell menthol products to Black communities. Colorado’s young people deserve to know that history, recognize the marketing, and have the facts before nicotine becomes part of their lives.
Sources: CDC: Tobacco Industry Marketing; CDC: Menthol Smoking and Related Health Disparities; CDC: Unfair and Unjust Practices Affecting African American People; 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey results.
info@cololoradoblackhealth.org | Phone: 720.579.2126
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