MOA 2024: Menthol
MOA 2024: Menthol
Every year, we rally around our Moment of Action to mobilize activists around the country and keep our communities free of vaping and tobacco. This year, Moment of Action is focused on building support for a rule that’s currently with the White House, which would end the sale of menthol cigarettes nationwide. This would be a massive win for public health and social justice advocates, and we need YOUR help to push the ruling over the finish line.
Scroll down to see how you can get involved to let the White House know: the time is now to end the sale of menthol cigarettes. You can get involved in one of three ways:
Watch and share our Unfiltered truth videos on social (don't forget to tag @whitehouse and @potus).
Participate in our #MentholNotCool Art Challenge for a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card.
Share our Social Justice poster with your community to spread the word about menthol.
Unfiltered truth: Menthol, Tobacco, and the Urgency for Change
Unfiltered truth: Menthol, Tobacco, and the Urgency for Change
We interviewed four activists who have been fighting for the removal of menthol, to show our support of the FDA’s rule to take menthol products off the shelves. We plan on taking these videos to decision makers at the White House to help push the ruling over the finish line. Check them out and feel free to tell us your menthol story on our socials (@truthorange).
#MentholNotCool Art Challenge
#MentholNotCool Art Challenge
Want to make your voice heard on menthol? Submit an original piece of art to the #MentholNotCool Art Challenge by Tuesday, April 30th and have the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.
With this challenge, we hope to turn art into activism to let the Biden Administration know that there is support from the community to end the sale of menthol cigarettes.
Here are a few facts about menthol to get your creativity flowing:
- Menthol cigarettes are a social justice issue and have had a disproportionate impact on the health of Black Americans & the LGBTQ+ Community.
- Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death among Black Americans, with tobacco-related cancers claiming more than 39,000 Black lives every year.
- Youth remain the age group most likely to use menthol cigarettes. Menthol cools and numbs the throat and masks the harshness of tobacco smoke, which makes it easier to start smoking and harder to stop.
- LGBT smokers are significantly more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes. In 2020, 51% of lesbian and gay smokers and 46% of bisexual smokers used menthol cigarettes, compared with 39% of heterosexual smokers.
More details:
- Your piece can be an original drawing, painting, collage, mural, chalk demonstration – think big!
- If you’re doing this in a public space, make sure you have permission.
- Bonus points for putting your art in a community/campus space (with permission), involving a team of friends, and including menthol-related facts or imagery.
- Submit a photo and description of your art below! Official Rules here.
Rules of the road:
- Do not vandalize or mark public spaces without permission
- Do not vilify the tobacco industry in any of your submissions
- Do not feature personal stories without permission
- Do not copy others’ work
Spread the Word About Menthol
Spread the Word About Menthol
Want to take this a step further? Download the social justice poster to the left (just right click and save!) to use as a creative tool to spread the word about the tobacco industry’s targeting. You can use it to share information on your campus, in your community, or elsewhere. We recommend using the blank space to share information about upcoming events, how people can get involved in your efforts/with truth, and/or share quitting resources.
