>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THE FDA RECENTLY RELEASED A PLAN TO BAN MENTHOL CIGARETTES AND
FLAVORED CIGARS. RIGHT NOW,
APPROXIMATELY 30% OF ALL
CANCER DEATHS HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES ARE LINKED TO
SMOKING. CAROL MCGRUDER IS THE
FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE AFRICAN
AMERICAN TOBACCO CONTROL
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL IS JOINING
US NOW. HE IS IN. GOOD
MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING WITH
US. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME. SO THE FDA SAYS
THAT MENTHOL HAS HIGH RATES OF
YOU SPECIFICALLY AMONG
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS.
WHAT MAKES THESE KINDS OF
CIGARETTES SO DANGEROUS TO
YOUNG PEOPLE?
>> WELL, AS MY CO-CHAIR,
DOCTOR JOE GARDNER SAYS MAKES
THE POISON GO DOWN EASIER. SO
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT
CIGARETTES ARE POISONED THEIR
TALKS AND THE TEEN IS
ADDICTIVE AND MENTHOL ACTUALLY
HAS ITS OWN ADDICTIVE
PROPERTIES ALONG WITH
NICOTINE. THAT MENTHOL SUITS
THAT THROW IT VIOLATES THE THE
LINES, THE AUDIO LINE, THE
LAW. SO ALLOWS FOR A DEEPER
INHALATION AND IT ALLOWS FOR
MORE CELL PERMEABILITY AND THE
WRONGS AND ALONG WITH YOUNG
PEOPLE THAT THAT INITIATE WITH
MINT MENTHOL BECAUSE WE ARE
ABOUT STOPPING GENERATION
AFTER GENERATION OF ADDICTION
OF THESE DEADLY PRODUCTS ARE
AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO HAVE
BEEN PRETTY VICIOUSLY TARGETED
BY THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY FOR
DECADES WITH GIVING AWAY
CIGARETTES TO CHILDREN AS
YOUNG AS 9 YEARS OLD IN OUR
URBAN CITIES ACROSS THIS
INFILTRATING AFRICAN AMERICAN
MEDIA AND LEADERSHIP GROUPS
AND JUST REALLY HAVING A VERY
STRATEGIC PROLONGED ATTACK ON
US. AND THAT’S WHY 85% OF
AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO SMOKE
SMOKE AMID THE WEIGHTED
TOBACCO PRODUCT. WOW. AND
THAT’S A STARTLING STATISTIC.
THERE’S A NUMBER. ANOTHER ONE
AS WELL.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: ABOUT 45,000
BLACK LIVES ARE LOST EACH YEAR
DUE TO TOBACCO. USE TO THINK
ABOUT THAT. THAT NUMBER.
THAT’S PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,
COMMUNITY. SO AS A RESULT,
WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THEN, CAROL,
WHAT THE FDA’S PLAN INCLUDES.
>> SO THE PLAN INCLUDES THAT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT
THIS TAKING OFFICE, GOING TO
CRIMINALIZE OUR BUT THE FACT
IS, IN THE PAST 20 YEARS,
THERE HAVE BEEN A MILLION
BLACK PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM
TOBACCO INDUCED DISEASES. AND
WHAT THE FDA IS GOING TO DO IS
THEY’RE GOING AFTER THE
SOURCE. SO THIS IS ABOUT THE
MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION
OF MID TO LATE OF TOBACCO
PRODUCTS AND LITTLE CIGARS IN
THE UNITED STATES AMERICA. OUR
NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH, CANADA
HAS ALREADY DOWN IMPLEMENTED
IN TAKING THESE PRODUCTS OFF
THE SHELVES AND YOU’RE SEEING
MORE OF MENTHOL SMOKERS HAVE
BETTORS THE STATION RATE AND
THAT EUROPEAN UNION HAS DONE
IT. SO IT’S TIME FOR CIVILIZED
SOCIETIES THAT WANT TO STOP
ANOTHER GENERATION OF
ADDICTION FROM THERE WITH
THEIR CHILDREN. WE KNOW THAT
THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY CAN
SURVIVE IF THEY DON’T THE
CRUDE BECAUSE THEY MUST
REPLACE THEIR CUSTOMERS AND
DIE EVERY YEAR FROM THEIR
PRODUCT NOW. SO WE WANT TO
INTERRUPT THAT. AND AND THIS
IS ONE OF THAT. THIS THE BEST
WAY TO DO IT. AND IT’S THAT IS
NOT THE END IS NOT MAGIC. IT’S
THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS.
AND IT’S ALSO NOT THAT IT
TAKES ABOUT 2 YEARS TO GO
THROUGH THE RULEMAKING PROCESS
WITH THE FDA IN THE INTERIM,
WE’RE ENCOURAGING CITIES,
COUNTIES AND STATES TO ADOPT
THEIR OWN LEGISLATION AND
ACTED AS THE SAND CITY OF SAN
FRANCISCO IS THAT IN MANY
CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED
STATES, THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA HAS DONE IT. THE
STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS HAS
DONE IT. AND SO WITH
CALIFORNIA, THE INDUSTRY IS
TRYING TO BLOCK IT. BUT WE
KNOW THAT CALIFORNIA WOULD
VOTE IN NOVEMBER AND WE HELPED
TO LEAD THE FOR ITS OTHER
STATES IN THIS COUNTRY TO DO
IT. BUT CITIES AND CITIES AND
COUNTIES CAN DO IT. AND SO AND
THERE’S LOTS OF HELP TO HELP
PEOPLE GET THESE PRODUCTS OUT
OF THEIR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW
AND NOT WAIT FOR ASK
CONSIDERING AFFECTED. AS YOU
NOTED, THIS COULD TAKE AS AS
AS LONG AS 2 YEARS. YOUR FINAL
MESSAGE SENT TO PARENTS
BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THIS CAN
INVOLVE ALSO A CONVERSATION
THAT NEEDS TO BE HEADED HOME.
>> YES, WE HAVE A CONVERSATION
WITH ANSWERS THAT WE KNOW THE
INDUSTRY WILL MORPH INTO ITS
PRODUCT. DOESN’T STOP WITH THE
CIGARETTES. E-CIGARETTES ARE
NOT THE THEY’RE NOT SAVING
ANYONE THERE DEPICTING OUR
CHILDREN WHO WOULD NEVER HAVE
PICKED UP A COMBUSTIBLE
CIGARETTE. AND ALL THIS IS
COMBINED TOGETHER AND WE NEED
TO GET THESE FLAVORS IN
PARTICULAR, THE MENTHOL AND
LITTLE CIGARS AND OFF THE
MARKET.
>>LAUREN VERNO: KAREN, THE
CRITTER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME THIS MORNING SESSION PARA
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PARENTS.
THANK YOU. AND OUR WEST. OUR
WEBSITE IS BLACK LIVES THAT
LORD YOU CAN SIGN UP. YOU
DON’T HAVE TO BE AFRICAN
AMERICANS AND WE CAN HAVE WE
CAN HELP WITH THE PROCESS AS
WE MOVE FORWARD AND KEEP YOU
ABREAST OF WHAT’S HAPPENING
BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY, MANY
EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING TO
GET THESE PRODUCTS AND PEOPLE
WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT,