Eighty national public health groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Preventative Medicine, placed a full-page ad in Sunday’s edition of the Washington Post in support of a federal ban on menthol in cigarettes and all flavored cigars.

“The answer is clear,” the full-page ad says. “Saving lives starts by ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars.

“Smoking kills nearly half a million people in the United States each year, and these addictive, deadly products are a big part of the problem. The FDA and White House have our full support to release lifesaving rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars.”

  • chaogomu@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Nice whataboutism.

    But we can do both.

    I personally say ban tobacco completely, because it’s still the single largest cause of medical issues in the US.

    Cancer, COPD, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Stokes, etc. All diseases that smokers get at extremely elevated rates. Hell, currently, one out of every five deaths in the US are linked to cigarette use.

    But sure, gun control. It’s a good idea, but it wouldn’t do anything about 20% of all deaths each year.

    Anyway, teens are most likely to start smoking via menthols or flavored tobacco. Which is why we should ban them. Because if you can drive that 20% number down, you should.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      You’re making shit up now. Smoking doesn’t come close to 20% of the deaths in any group, except for possibly China in their oldest age categories. Fuck off with your lies.

      • chaogomu@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/index.htm

        Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the United States each year.1,6 Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause the following:1

        More than 480,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
        278,544 deaths annually among men (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
        201,773 deaths annually among women (including deaths from secondhand smoke)

        Cigarette smoking causes premature death:

        Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers.1,2
        Quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%.2

        Not lies.