Menthol Ban: When RJ Reynolds Tries to Bribe an African-American Pastor

According to revelations from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, an African-American pastor was approached by the tobacco industry to publicly oppose the ban on menthol tobacco products, in exchange for several hundred thousand dollars. The pastor, a prominent civil rights activist in Detroit's African-American community, had published an op-ed a few months earlier calling for the end of menthol, due to the health damage it caused to Black Americans. This bribe proposal was identified as coming from the cigarette company RJ Reynolds, maker of the Newport brand, the leading menthol cigarette in the United States.[1].

On April 29, 2021, following a years-long standoff between public health officials and the tobacco industry, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had decided to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in the country. While this decision is an undeniable victory for public health, this announcement is only the first step in a lengthy regulatory process to remove the affected products from the market.

Menthol tobacco responsible for more than 40,000 African-American deaths

Reverend Horace Sheffield, a prominent African-American civil rights activist from Detroit, wrote in an op-ed published in the Detroit Free Press, emphasizing that the FDA's decision would help "stem the tide of preventable illness and death" among Black smokers, who have been a priority target for the tobacco industry, particularly menthol manufacturers, for decades. This aggressive targeting of the African-American community for menthol products has resulted in a marketing success for manufacturers: in the United States, nearly 90% of African-American smokers consume menthol tobacco products. As a result, this “Afro-Americanization” of menthol comes at a high price. Menthol tobacco actively contributes to reinforcing health inequalities between communities, and is the cause of the premature deaths of more than 40,000 African Americans per year.

An offer of $250,000

Following the publication of the op-ed, the reverend claimed, with supporting evidence, that he had been approached to reconsider his official position on the menthol ban. Following initial refusals, the financial offer to campaign against the menthol ban increased from $50,000 to $250,000, or even more, if Horace Sheffield specifically mentioned that he thought he had been "on the wrong side." While the African-American activist refused the offer, the exploitation of community associations is a common practice for the tobacco industry. An investigation conducted by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Los Angeles Times showed that cigarette companies did not hesitate to set up influence strategies, such as hiring African-American lobbyists, or paying protesters, with the specific goal of gaining support against the menthol ban from the Black community.

FT

[1] Bureau of Investigative Journalism , Pastor offered $250,000 to oppose menthol cigarette ban, 08/25/2022, (accessed 09/06/2022)