”Tobacco is for the Young, Black, Poor and Stupid”: Stan Martin Exposing Big Tobacco’s Plot Against Us

Igniting Hope for Health Equity

Ep. 27 Tobacco use is a major contributor to the three leading causes of death among African Americans—heart disease, cancer, and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 40,000 Black people die annually from cigarettes annually but on Saturday June 24th the Tobacco Free Erie Niagara Coalition is holding a funeral for "Menthol" celebrating the death of cigarette use. In this episode Stan Martin gives us the story behind the motivation for this event and his mission to work with tobacco users to help them quit the product that, when used as intended, will kill you.

For decades, Big Tobacco marketed menthol cigarettes to African Americans by giving them away in neighborhoods, at festivals and other events. While the use of tobacco products is about equal among Blacks and Whites, African Americans are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes, inhaling the smoke deeper into their lungs and making it more difficult to quit.

• NYS smoker quit line- 1 866 NY quits, https://www.nysmokefree.com/

About the Guest

Stan Martin, MM is the Buffalo Office Director for Cicatelli Associates Inc. He possesses over 20 years of experience in program planning, coordination and implementation of community initiatives focused on tobacco control, chronic disease prevention, healthy eating, nutrition, optimal adolescent health, and vaccine hesitancy in historic oppressed populations. Contact Stan "The Man" via email [e-mail] Throughout his decade of service with CAI, he has held several key leadership positions, which promote health and wellness, facilitation of youth-community led initiatives including HOPE Buffalo, REACH Buffalo & Advancing Tobacco Free Communities. Mr. Martin has expertise in building the capacity of community stakeholders to address the social determinants of health, utilization of Community Based Participatory Research, Collective Impact and Population-Based Health strategies that promote systemic and policy change at every level of the socio-ecological model, which lead to the transformation of social norms.

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