Tobacco-Free New York

Menthol marketing Editor’s note: This column appears in the 2/24/22 print editions of The Freeman’s Journal and Hometown Oneonta. Its author, Jennifer Hill, is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Tobacco-Free Communities: Delaware, Otsego & Schoharie. Seventy years ago, the tobacco industry launched an aggressive marketing campaign to persuade African Americans to smoke menthol cigarettes. The industry endeared themselves to Black communities by being among the first white-led businesses to hire African Americans for executive positions and use Black models, actors,…