Over 80% of kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.

About the Campaign

Tobacco companies have been hooking our kids for years with enticing flavors like grape, chocolate, “banana smash,” and “smooth menthol.” African Americans have paid the highest price for Big Tobacco’s immoral targeting of communities of color and low-income New Yorkers. Flavors Hook Kids NYC is fighting to protect our kids by ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products in New York City and across the state of New York.

Menthol cigarettes are easier to start smoking and harder to quit. They also mask the harsh taste of tobacco, making them more appealing to kids. That’s why more than half of all youth smokers ages 12-17 use menthol cigarettes, compared to less than 1/3 of smokers ages 35 and older. Menthol use is even higher among African American youth: 70% smoke menthol cigarettes.

But we can change that forever in NYC. Let’s send a strong message and restrict the sale of menthol cigarettes in NYC.

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Campaign Support from Mayor David Dinkins

David Dinkins was the 106th Mayor of New York City and the first African American to hold the office. Before his passing in 2020, he supported our campaign to restrict flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products to protect the health of our children.

Here is his October 2019 New York Daily News op-ed.