The Biden administration has reportedly abandoned its plans to ban menthol cigarettes after warnings that it could push away some Black voters. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday the White …
Honestly, we see where banning things gets us. Millions of people in prison and or killed over these things because there's black markets for them because people want them.
Even if you do that you risk creating a black market that will be served by organised crime. In Australia it's an issue where tobacco shops get firebombed, and that's with just expensive cigarettes, not outright bans.
Just criminalize the sale, not the possession. When they vanish from storefronts and become much harder to find, many people will switch to alternatives like vapes, or reduce their consumption. Don’t bother with citing individuals for possessing them; Just fine the fuck out of any storefronts caught selling them, and/or take their tobacco sale permits away.
That would fuel a black market even more because now customers don't need to take any risk so more profit for those who do take the risk on the selling side.
And if they just do fines, it will become a cost of business. If they lock people up, then it's just another front in the ridiculous drug war that does more harm on its own than the drugs themselves do.
As much as I don't like smoking still being a thing, use is trending down on its own and people should have a right to choose what they do with their bodies, even if it fucks them up or they end up regretting it later. As a society, we've been fucking up our environment more than smoking ever has to the point where just existing in a large city is as bad as smoking because of the car exhaust, and that's for everyone, not just those who choose to drive or ride in cars.
Though I would be in favour of mandating that some majority portion of cigarette profits go to paying for the health treatments and would also be open to some kind of asterisk on healthcare coverage for those who live in places with public healthcare and choose to smoke, maybe requiring some kind of insurance policy to help pay for healthcare they might end up needing.
As per moderator request, a unique comment for yall. Enjoy.
Screw the prohibitionists.
There will come a moment when humanity triumphs over the war on drugs, granting individuals the autonomy to decide what substances they consume.
And when that day arrives… will you witness drug users discriminating against those who choose sobriety?
Will you observe prisons constructed for those who opt to remain drug-free?
Will individuals be branded as criminals for abstaining from substances?
Will drug users advocate for the militarization of law enforcement and the erosion of our constitutional rights in an attempt to impose their lifestyle on others?
NO.
Who would inflict such harm on others? Prohibitionists.
And we stand against them.
Legalizing marijuana alone won't address the most severe repercussions of the war on drugs.
Full legalization of all substances is the ultimate harm reduction strategy.
Of course, he has no spine. He can't govern over communist flavored sentiment. This also proves that democracy does not work to improve society unless the voter agrees with it. Now we can see how lobbies control this man. I do not consider him a real leader.
I assume that they are a white conservative who has never talked with a Black person or they don’t know anything about US Black culture. In reality, menthols are super popular among Black smokers. I assume they think it’s a racial stereotype instead of reality.
Not every Black person likes menthol, and lots of people of different ethnicities smoke the hell out of them.
This says it was done explicitly to win over Black voters...
Like, if Biden wanted to make up for his border comments by mandating Taco Tuesday at the White House.
Or since he didn't decriminalize cannabis federally, he gives every American a coupon for a free slushie from 7/11.
Or gave advocoda toast to everyone over 30 that can't afford to buy a house in America.
Like, fried chicken and watermelon isn't racist, it's delicious. But if you daughter is dating a Black man and that's what for dinner the first time he comes over. It's questionable.
But if you tell him you made it to win him and over and prove your not racist....
By saying the reason is to win over specifically that demographic, it means you're so out of touch you don't realize that makes it more racist. You're throwing away any plausible deniability.
Even if it's good intentioned, it's a racial stereotype you're just voluntarily telling everyone you believe in.
I’m a dem voter and non-smoker, but this issue was pushing me away. I also felt that this law disproportionally targeted black people, and I’m glad that it isn’t going anywhere.