U. receives $7 million grant to study minority perspectives on menthol cigarette ban

The Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies (INTS) recently received more than $7 million in funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), according to a press release.

Over the course of five years, the NIMHD will grant the University $3.2 million in funds, with the NIDA delivering $4.07 million for the same time period.

In December 2023, the proposal to federally ban menthol cigarettes was postponed to March.

The INTS received the funding to analyze Black and Hispanic youth views on the ban. The tobacco industry targets these population segments, causing both groups to use menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars at disproportionate rates, the release said.

The ban is expected to impact approximately 300,000 to 650,000 people across multiple decades, preventing potential deaths associated with smoking, according to the release.

"The tobacco industry has a history of targeting historically under-resourced communities with tactics that use racial profiling, neighborhood demographics and cultural elements to promote tobacco sales," Kymberle Sterling, the study's lead researcher and an assistant dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said in the release.