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Advocates urge Buffalo City committee to ban menthol tobacco, citing racial health disparities
Summary
Public-health advocates and community leaders told the Buffalo City Committee on Community Development on Feb. 10, 2026, that menthol tobacco products disproportionately harm Black and other marginalized groups and urged the committee to seek a legal opinion and pursue a city ban.
Public-health advocates and community leaders urged the Buffalo City Committee on Community Development on Feb. 10, 2026, to move forward with a ban on menthol-flavored tobacco products, saying the products concentrate harms in Black, Latino, LGBTQ and unhoused communities.
"Menthol cigarettes are the number 1 killer of African Americans in the United States," Dr. Philip Gardner, co‑chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, told the committee during public comment. Gardner cited examples of more than 130 U.S. cities and counties and two states — Massachusetts and California — that have restricted menthol or flavored tobacco products and referenced…
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