Dixwell Smokes Out Menthol Ban

Ban menthol cigarettes? Some smokers, trying to quit, welcomed the idea. Others argued a ban would just drive the flavored cigarette economy underground.

Those were the reactions outside Dixwell convenience stores to a new proposal by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The argument is that the menthol tobacco products snare more Americans into addictions, especially in the Black community.

“I think it would be of great benefit. Tobacco companies profit from killing humans,” said Dixwell Avenue neighbor Meoquon Bridges.

Bridges listed off health effects from cigarettes: lung cancer, heart attacks, gum disease … According to the U.S. Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking causes nearly one in five deaths a year, which is more than those caused by illegal drugs, alcohol, car crashes and guns, combined.

Bridges has smoked since age 18, when he got into menthol cigarettes with friends. He said it is his right to poison his body if he wanted to. Now at age 27, he is transitioning away from tobacco products for the sake of his pregnant wife and child.

If menthol cigarettes were banned, would he continue smoking unflavored cigarettes?

“Hell no! I don’t think anybody would,” Bridges said. ​“My wife is pregnant. She can’t take the smell. She would love that.”

To Reduce Health Disparities

The FDA announced on Thursday that it plans to ban menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars in a year, after public comment on the new regulation. The agency would enforce the ban against manufacturers, importers and retailers and not against individuals for possessing the banned products.

One of the goals is to reduce the health impacts of smoking among young people and African Americans, who have been aggressively targeted by menthol cigarette brands like Kool and Newport since the 1950s. About three in four Black, non-Hispanic smokers prefer menthol-based brands, compared to one in four white smokers.

Menthol cigarettes are the last legal flavored cigarettes. Congress banned all other cigarette flavors in 2009 and directed the FDA to study menthol flavoring.

The NAACP has pushed for a ban for years.

“For decades, the tobacco industry has been targeting African Americans and has contributed to the skyrocketing rates of heart disease, stroke and cancer across our community. The tobacco industry is on a narrow quest for profit, and they have been killing us along the way,” the NAACP said, in support of the ban.

Like Bridges, several Dixwell neighbors agreed with the NAACP. They too said they are trying to quit smoking and would appreciate the help.

Donald Little had just purchased a pack of Newports from the Dixwell Mini Mart. He smokes about once a week and does not want to quit, he said. His sense is that smoking that infrequently doesn’t have the same kinds of health effects as chain smoking. (The health effects are less significant but are still present.)

He would, however, quit if menthol cigarettes were no longer available.

“It sometimes calms my nerves when I’m upset,” Little said.

Decriminalization Trends

Several menthol cigarette customers pointed out how odd it was to start legalizing marijuana while criminalizing menthol cigarettes.

Three neighbors sitting on a Dixwell stoop spoke about their different histories and attitudes toward tobacco. One had started on menthol-based cigarettes in her youth. Another didn’t start on menthols but now thinks other cigarettes taste awful. A third does not smoke.

All three agreed that banning menthol cigarettes would just push the industry underground. They imagined informal sellers offering five menthol cigarettes — with unknown and potentially dangerous ingredients — for $10.

“Kids are going to smoke. It’s more appealing when it’s illegal,” said Demeka A, who does not smoke.

Their arguments mirrored the position of the ACLU and other civil rights groups opposed to the ban.

“Time and time again, we see encounters with police over minor offenses — for Daunte Wright it was expired tags, for George Floyd it was using a counterfeit bill, for Eric Garner it was selling loose cigarettes — result in a killing. There are serious concerns that the ban implemented by the Biden administration will eventually foster an underground market that is sure to trigger criminal penalties which will disproportionately impact people of color and prioritize criminalization over public health and harm reduction,” the ACLU said.

Corner Store Impacts

Employees of the corner stores that dot Dixwell Avenue and Orchard Street agreed that the menthol ban would significantly impact their sales.

“It’s almost 50 percent of our business. We sell more tobacco than food. It might close the business. He came in to buy a cigar, and he’s taking a juice with it,” said Naser Roomi, motioning to a customer.

Naser and Ahmed Roomi took over A To Z Deli and Groceries two months ago. The brothers moved from Basra, Iraq, to New Haven six years ago. Ahmed worked at Amazon for a few years. Naser worked (and still works) as a chef at pizza shops.

They plan to expand the deli section of the convenience store. Naser will run the food side; Ahmed will run the convenience store counter.

Naser was more emphatic about the negative impacts of the ban, while Ahmed demurred to customer opinions. Ahmed smokes, unlike Naser. He started smoking a non-menthol brand in Iraq at 14 with friends. The menthol brands were not available to him at that time.

“I was a kid who wanted to be a man,” Ahmed said.

Now he’s trying to quit so he can devote his full attention to running the shop. He smokes about three times a day but doesn’t finish the whole cigarette.

The brothers learned English from African-American coworkers. They add ​“darling” and other terms of endearment to their farewells to customers. Ahmed waved goodbye to one elderly woman, who had inquired about his prayer schedule, with a ​“Love you!”

Like Naser Roomi, the manager of Shop N Save Grocery & Deli projected dramatic cuts to his sales with the menthol ban. He estimated that menthol cigarettes make up 25 – 30 percent of his sales. Flavored cigars fill most of the wall space behind his counter.

A passing customer, Kendell Shanklin, mused that these are transitional pains. He has been addicted to cigarettes on and off over much of his lifetime and supports the ban. He expects to see more money in city dwellers’ pockets, particularly in neighborhoods like Dixwell where cigarettes are so readily available.

“He will start selling more chicken, maybe some sandwiches,” Shanklin said with a wave.