BUFFALO, N.Y. — The No Menthol Buffalo Coalition has launched a campaign to ban the sale of menthol flavored tobacco in the city of Buffalo.

“It’s just a product that, if you use it correctly, it kills you,” said George Nicholas of Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church and CEO of Buffalo Center for Health Equity.

What You Need To Know

  • The coalition announced No Menthol Sunday on May 19 at local churches to raise awareness

  • Smoking claims the lives of 28,000 New Yorkers each year
  • Black Americans are 11 times more likely to smoke menthols in New York

  • Anyone trying to quit smoking can contact the NYS Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-697-8487 or text “QUITNOW” to 333-888

The coalition announced No Menthol Sunday on May 19 at local churches to raise awareness.

This comes as President Joe Biden’s Administration announced the delay of action by the Food and Drug Administration on the sale of menthol cigarettes.

“It’s not hyperbole for me to say it’s a life-or-death issue,” said Nicholas. “We say that all the time, right? But for this, the data, the statistics, show us that this product actually kills.”

Smoking claims the lives of 28,000 New Yorkers each year in the form of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and emphysema, according to Dr. Maansi Bansal-Travers, associate professor of oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

She said through targeted advertising, Black Americans are 11 times more likely to smoke menthols in New York.

“Even though they are easier to use, they are harder to quit,” said Bansal-Travers.

Anyone trying to quit smoking can contact the NYS Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-697-8487 or text “QUITNOW” to 333-888.