Thread by @padmrey, we need to talk about how the war on cigarettes is builds [...]

we need to talk about how the war on cigarettes is builds on racism and classism and not just health issues.

the ACLU just released a statement about Biden& #39;s plan to ban menthols, saying it will "disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities" and they are right.

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it& #39;s become the socially acceptable thing to look down on smokers of cigarettes - even in circles that are for decriminalization of other drugs.

cigarette taxes and cigarette free zones may seem like a proper "mitigation tactic" but I& #39;d like to explain why they are not

first I have to say that people living below the poverty level and people having lower levels of educational attainment have higher rates of cigarette smoking than the general population - according to the CDC itself

Here are the current U.S. Poverty Statistics:
Adults not working - 26%
Adults without a high school diploma - 24%
Adults with a disability - 23%
Single moms - 22%
Black Americans - 19%
Foreign born non-citizens - 16%
Hispanic Americans - 16%
All children - 14%
Single dads - 11%

the same racial disparities exist in education as well. here are the current educational statistics for those who have earned a bachelor& #39;s degree

this continues down the line of education:

30% of white people, 17.3% of Black people, and 11.4% of Latines have a four-year college degree

89.4% of white people, 87.6% of Asian Americans, 80.0% of African Americans, and 57% of Latines graduated from high school

cigarette taxes don& #39;t stop people from smoking - what they DO achieve, however, is keeping people who are addicted to smoking in poverty. the higher the tax, the larger a percentage of income is spent on cigarettes, and the harder it is to get out of the cycle of poverty

this is especially true if they try to buy American Spirits - an organic tobacco brand which while it isn& #39;t "healthy" is healthier for you than non organic brands which include chemicals other than tobacco in their cigarettes. I smoke American Spirits. a carton in my state costs

$100 - although it used to be more like $60. in Philadelphia, where I am moving, there is a cigarette tax which will bring it up to $150 minimum. if you buy a pack at a time, because you cannot afford to save up to $150 at a time, you end up spending even more per month

cigarette taxes don& #39;t disuade people from smoking - but they do keep generally lower income people from being able to save their already finite money

then there are cigarette bans. many campuses have become cigarette free - and this is hailed as a great achievement. it& #39;s important to note it& #39;s generally a lot of the better universities banning it, not community colleges

banning ciagarettes from campuses doesn& #39;t just ban cigarettes - it bans smokers. which we know are mainly lower income folks and people of color. it is not an exaggeration to say that many smokers would simply choose to go to a worse school rather than quit smoking.

therefore, cigarette bans actually keep people of color, and lower income people, from getting certain types of specialized degrees, again, keeping them lower educated and sometimes within the poverty cycle.

it& #39;s important to note here, the intersection of race and poverty and overpolicing - when cigarettes are banned, it falls on security and police to enforce. this means more interactions between police and people of color and poor people. this is unsafe.

it& #39;s interesting, due to how many conversations about addiction we have on here, to see people discussing cigarettes as "why don& #39;t they just quit, then?"

despite the physical addiction, I don& #39;t believe that& #39;s the only reason people smoke. for example. I have ADHD.

I need to use my hands and mouth for stimulation purposes especially when I& #39;m stressed. cigarettes help me not just due to the nicotine but because of the physical stimulation. in addition, cigarettes provide emotional relief due to stress which I don& #39;t need to tell you is

higher among people at and below the poverty line. it should be clear, then, that cigarettes are a way to cope with living in a society that does not care for its disabled and its poor. still, cigarettes are seen as a special class of drug and not viewed the same way others are

overall, I think it& #39;s important that we reevaluate the way we think and talk about cigarettes. we all know they& #39;re not good for you. but we& #39;re well past that part of the conversation. addictions should be accommodated. they should not be taxed and banned.

I hope I can change at least one person& #39;s mind on the way our society and our government is handling cigarettes. the goal should be to improve living conditions, not to punish.

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