“Tobacco Targeting Youth: Menthol and Flavors” was the topic of a Town Hall community meeting hosted by Breathe California of the Bay Area (BCBA) on February 28, 2019 from 5:30 pm – 8 pm at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in downtown San Jose.  The crowd at the sold-out event came together to learn about the health risks of flavored tobacco and menthol cigarettes, how the tobacco industry targets youth, and the need to organize for change. It included youth, young adults, public officials, school personnel, parents, tobacco control supporters, and other interested individuals. 

San Jose’s Vice Mayor welcomed attendees and shared his personal reasons for opposing tobacco and supporting regulations that ban flavored and menthol tobacco.  His remarks were followed by a youth panel discussion, moderated by Rhonda McClinton-Brown, Healthy Communities Branch Director for Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department. Panelists were: Siddi Shenoy and Sita Shenoi of Monte Vista High School’s Community Advocate Teens of Today; and Isela Vasquez, a Young Adult Tobacco Purchase Survey participant.

County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg presented comments highlighting tobacco’s targeting of youth and her support for regulation.  A panel of experts then presented and fielded questions from the audience, moderated by Breathe California’s CEO, Margo Sidener: Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher from Stanford University; Carol McGruder from the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council; and Nicole Coxe, Program Manager from Santa Clara County’s Tobacco-Free Communities Program.

A highlight was the impassioned performance of Tasha Turner “SixFootah the Poet,” who used her wordsmith talents to rail against the tobacco industry that killed her mother through their product’s addiction.

Special Guest, the Honorable Ash Kalra, Member of the California State Assembly, presented a call to action, detailing how citizens can act to halt this tobacco targeting and what is in progress at the State, and Margo Sidener added closing remarks to share the urgency of tackling this issue.