From: Salon
Tired of waiting for the feds, local groups target menthol cigarettes
Anti-smoking groups are taking matters into their own hands
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Of at least a dozen cities and counties across the nation that have approved restrictions, San Francisco has been the most ambitious. In June officials there agreed on an outright sales ban that was supposed to take effect in April 2018. But a petition drive funded by R.J. Reynolds, maker of the top-selling menthol brand, Newport, has forced a June 2018 ballot measure on the proposed ban.
If voters OK the ban, other cities might be emboldened to follow San Francisco’s lead. With menthols accounting for about 30 percent of U.S. cigarette sales — and research showing much higher percentages among African-Americans and smokers under age 18 — billions of dollars could be riding on the outcome.
