White Guilt: Banning Menthol Cigarettes

This is just sad.

Smoking menthol cigarettes has become politically charged as Congress considers legislation that would give the federal government the power to regulate tobacco products for the first time. The bill, which the House of Representatives approved last week in a bipartisan vote, and which now awaits a Senate vote in the fall, bans clove, vanilla and other flavorings in cigarettes.

But the bill’s sponsors in the House decided that the Food and Drug Administration should make the decision on how to regulate menthol, the most common flavoring. Menthol cigarettes account for more than a quarter of all cigarette sales and, studies and surveys show, are the preference of the overwhelming majority of African-American smokers, as well as a significant proportion of all teenagers ages 12 to 17.

Take Away their Menthols? Is That Cool? - New York Times

In essence, the entire reasoning for the legislation boils down to two things: First, they can ban cigarettes in some form outright, something they know they couldn't do for a bunch of reasons, and the second, "Well, let's do whatever we can to placate blacks." Of course, it's mostly the Democratic party doing this...

Eh, the legislation is just stupid and misguided. The article points out that 75% of black smokers smoke menthols and that marketing has been directed towards blacks... really, just, wow. Obvious stuff, though. It's about as bad as trying to ban rap because it influences blacks to kill and rob, as well as leading to death and being heavily marketed towards blacks.

Really dumb legislation, and I hope that more people rise up and say "No, don't support this."