The tobacco industry has a long, well-documented history of targeting Black Americans with menthol cigarette advertisements, and the result is that nearly 85% of Black smokers use tobacco with the minty flavor additive.

Following years of delay, the Food and Drug Administration last month proposed a nationwide ban on the sale and production of menthol cigarettes. As the effort to get menthol smokes off the market gained momentum in recent years, the industry sidled up to Black-led organizations and Black lawmakers. [...]