Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb recently joined his counterparts from Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Lansing and St. Louis in calling for a federal ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes.
“Cleveland is ground zero for this crisis affecting our residents, particularly Black residents,” Bibb said during a teleconference organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “We need President Biden and the administration to step up to save thousands of lives in our city.”
The Biden administration delayed its vote on the federal ban in December after civil rights groups – some of whom take money from tobacco companies – warned that a ban would target Black smokers, which could weaken Biden’s re-election bid, according to the Washington Post.
But some national public health advocacy groups argue that Biden’s inaction is putting politics over health.
The call for a federal ban follows an Ohio Senate vote last week to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a tobacco ban measure that would stop local governments from enacting tobacco bans stronger than those of the state.
The veto override means local legislation, such as Bibb’s 2023 proposed ban on flavored tobacco, which includes menthol cigarettes, would be illegal. (That proposal from Bibb failed to get Cleveland City Council support.)
Dr. Dave Margolius, Cleveland’s public health director, said he was disappointed by the state’s decision.
“We knew this was coming,” Margolius said. “We’re not done, and we will pivot how we can. We’re going to continue to take this fight all the way to the statehouse and the White House.”
