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This week, the Washington Post reports, the Biden administration will propose a total ban on mentholated cigarettes and “other flavors in mass-produced cigars.”
The move to prohibit access to flavored cigarettes, cigarillos, and other tobacco products, the Post adds, has long been sought by anti-smoking advocates and “civil rights groups.” Prohibition advocates cite the disproportionate harm these products do to minority communities—specifically, African Americans.
According to the most recent data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a majority of smokers who begin smoking as minors or young adults developed the habit by smoking menthols first. A staggering 93 percent of black adults who smoke started out as menthol smokers. In 2014-2015, nearly 77 percent of African American smokers preferred menthols compared to 35 percent of Hispanics and just one-quarter of whites.
Advocates of a ban insist that the marketing of mint-flavored tobacco products conspicuously targets black consumers, though whether that’s a result of advertising or if tobacco companies are just targeting their key demographics is a chicken-and-egg debate. But while mainstream media is replete with accounts of African-American public health activists demanding a federal ban on these products, not all self-described civil-rights advocates are so gung-ho. Among them, National Action Network founder and MSNBC host Al Sharpton.
Sharpton argues that banning flavored tobacco products will only push their sale into the black market, criminalizing conduct that is presently legal and making criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Moreover, making menthols into contraband increases the likelihood of police interactions with civilians, in which tensions are high, signals can be misread, mistakes can be made, and unnecessary violence could ensue.
The ACLU appears to agree with Sharpton’s assessment. A menthol ban will “will (1) disproportionately impact people and communities of color; (2) trigger criminal penalties, prioritizing criminalization over public health and harm reduction; and (3) instigate unconstitutional policing and other negative interactions with local law enforcement,” the organization writes. African Americans and advocacy groups like local NAACP outfits are increasingly speaking out against what they regard as dangerous paternalism from their political allies. Why are they being summarily dismissed by those who believe themselves so uniquely attuned to black interests?
As is so often the case with elite efforts to restrict access to harmful but legal products, there is a heavy dose of inter-class contempt on display. Cigarette bans are unlikely to affect, be felt, or even be seen by the people trying to drive these products underground. Cigarette smoking is most prevalent among adults at or below the poverty level and among those with less than a high-school education. “Blue-collar workers are more likely to start smoking cigarettes at a younger age and to smoke more heavily than white-collar workers,” the CDC notes.
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Will America-First News Outlets Make it to 2023?
Things are looking grim for conservative and populist news sites.
There’s something happening behind the scenes at several popular conservative news outlets. 2021 was bad, but 2022 is proving to be disastrous for news sites that aren’t “playing ball” with the corporate media narrative. It’s being said that advertisers are cracking down, forcing some of the biggest ad networks like Google and Yahoo to pull their inventory from conservative outlets. This has had two major effects. First, it has cooled most conservative outlets from discussing “taboo” topics like Pandemic Panic Theater, voter fraud, or The Great Reset. Second, it has isolated those ad networks that aren’t playing ball.
Certain topics are anathema for most ad networks. Speaking out against vaccines or vaccine mandates is a certain path to being demonetized. Highlighting voter fraud in the 2020 and future elections is another instant advertising death penalty. Throw in truthful stories about climate change hysteria, Critical Race Theory, and the border crisis and it’s easy to understand how difficult it is for America-First news outlets to spread the facts, share conservative opinions, and still pay the bills.
Without naming names, I have been told of several news outlets who have been forced to either consolidate with larger organizations or who have backed down on covering certain topics out of fear of being “canceled” by the ad networks. I get it. This is a business for many of us and it’s not very profitable. Those of us who do this for a living are often barely squeaking by, so loss of additional revenue can often mean being forced to make cuts. That means not being able to cover the topics properly. Its a Catch-22: Tell the truth and lose the money necessary to keep telling the truth, or avoid the truth and make enough money to survive. Those who have chosen survival simply aren’t able to spread the truth properly.
We will never avoid the truth. The Lord will provide if it is His will. Our job is simply to share the facts, spread the Gospel, and educate as many Americans as possible while exposing the forces of evil.
To those who have the means, we ask that you please donate. We have options available now, but there is no telling when those options will cancel us. We have our GivingFuel page. There have been many who have been canceled by PayPal, but for now it’s still an option. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker