Correcting misconceptions about tobacco sales restrictions could build community support and advance respiratory health initiatives.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Widespread Misconception: Four-in-five Black adults mistakenly believed that proposed restrictions on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars would penalize consumers rather than manufacturers and retailers.
- Education Influence: Survey respondents who understood that proposed policies targeted tobacco manufacturers and sellers were seven to eight times more likely to strongly support sales bans.
- Policy Opportunities: Clear public health education campaigns could correct false narratives, counter industry messaging, and bolster state and local efforts to restrict flavored tobacco products.
Widespread misunderstandings about tobacco regulations have contributed to diminished public backing for sales restrictions on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies and published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
The study authors reported that four in five Black adults surveyed incorrectly believed that proposed federal bans would target people who smoke rather than the manufacturers and retailers that sell the products. According to the researchers, this misconception was directly linked to reduced support for sales restrictions on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, products that have historically been marketed disproportionately in Black communities. Data in the study showed that 81% of Black adults who smoke cigarettes use menthol products.
Public healthcare advocates have noted that targeted education can shift community perspectives and build support for tobacco control policies that protect long-term lung health.
“We’ve had extensive campaigns on the harms of cigarettes, on quitting, on e-cigarettes,” said Ollie Ganz, assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and lead study author, in a news release. “Messaging about menthol and flavored combusted tobacco products has been sparse, especially when it comes to proposed public health policies designed to reduce the harms of these products.”
Misconceptions Driving Policy Opposition
In the study, researchers surveyed 823 Black adults to identify seven specific beliefs associated with opposing bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
The belief that law enforcement authorities would penalize individual smokers was among the most prevalent misconceptions. In contrast, the 20% of participants who correctly understood that proposed policies focused on tobacco companies and retailers were seven to eight times more likely to strongly support the bans, according to study findings.
The investigation also identified critical gaps in consumer knowledge regarding respiratory and overall health. Fewer than half of respondents recognized that a menthol ban could yield significant positive health benefits, and fewer than half understood how menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars influence smoking progression or smoking cessation, the researchers reported.
Overall, only 29% of survey respondents strongly supported a ban, and few participants actively rejected claims circulated by tobacco companies alleging that sales prohibitions would harm Black communities, according to the research team.
State and Local Implications for Tobacco Control
Federal efforts to restrict these products have faced sustained political and industry resistance. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially proposed banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in 2022, but the federal measure was delayed in 2024 and abandoned in 2025 following opposition that included industry-funded disinformation campaigns, according to the study authors.
Although federal regulations are stalled, subnational jurisdictions continue to enact local policies. California and Massachusetts have prohibited the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, and other states and localities, including New Jersey, are evaluating similar measures, according to the researchers.
The authors noted that addressing public misperceptions through structured public health education campaigns could clarify policy intent, counter industry narratives, and help healthcare advocates protect at-risk populations from combustible tobacco harms.
The research was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number R01MD018728, with all project costs totaling $2,571,894 financed through federal funds, according to the study disclosure.
