Menthol Cigarettes - Will FDA ban their sale? Why is race part of the issue?

[AU9377 5,035]

For the record, I despise cigarettes, but I don't believe the product should be banned.  All that would do is create a black market for tobacco and make smoking more enticing for some.  As for the menthol discussion, of course the companies marketed their products to minority communities.  I don't believe they did so with some sort of racial animus.  It was a smart business decision.

 

https://capitalbnews.org/menthol-cigarette-ban-racial-justice/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[Shoney'sPonyBoy 350]

15 hours ago, AU9377 said:

For the record, I despise cigarettes, but I don't believe the product should be banned.  All that would do is create a black market for tobacco and make smoking more enticing for some.  As for the menthol discussion, of course the companies marketed their products to minority communities.  I don't believe they did so with some sort of racial animus.  It was a smart business decision.

 

https://capitalbnews.org/menthol-cigarette-ban-racial-justice/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Well, they aren't talking about banning all cigarettes, just menthol ones.  

Seems like a strange idea to me to only ban the menthol ones.

And concluding that a product or service should be banned for whatever reason but not banning it because you are afraid of a black market is a selective filter for many.  For example, it makes sense to many people when the topic is abortion, but not at all when the topic is assault rifles.