For decades, the tobacco industry has disproportionately targeted communities of color and other marginalized communities, leading to increased rates of menthol cigarette use and tobacco-related health disparities. Recognizing this urgent challenge, health agencies across the nation are taking action by prioritizing community efforts to foster trust, peer-to-peer learning, inclusivity, and cultural responsiveness. ASTHO supports health agencies in addressing menthol tobacco use by enhancing their capacity—equipping them with the necessary tools, knowledge, and strategies to tackle this critical issue head-on.
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The Learning Collaborative Approach
Community-based initiatives are pivotal in tobacco control efforts. Funded by CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) and in partnership with The Center for Black Health & Equity (The Center), ASTHO launched the Increasing State Menthol Capacity Learning Collaborative. This initiative brought together eight state tobacco use prevention teams, each paired with a local community-based organization, with the goal of reducing menthol and flavored tobacco product use through strong linkages between the two stakeholders within each participating state.
Each team focused on helping specific groups of people most impacted by the sales and marketing of menthol cigarettes by using one of three strategies:
- Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change
- Menthol Cessation
- Counter Marketing/Public Education
Each team engaged policymakers, held educational events, and/or curated state-specific resources, such as webpages, media campaigns, and webinars that centered the role of community in reducing menthol and flavored tobacco product use through policy change, cessation messaging, and other key strategies.
State Teams at a Glance
Each state team joined the learning collaborative with a unique set of priorities. This section provides high level information about the state participants. Access the Menthol Learning Collaborative Summary (PDF) for a comprehensive summary for each state.
Indiana Department of Health and Minority Health Coalition of Madison County
Population(s) of focus: Residents in Madison County and African American community members
Resource: In the battle against the harmful effects of commercial tobacco, creative expression can be a powerful force for change. Let’s Fight Back! serves as a call to action for artists to use their respective mediums to raise awareness on commercial tobacco.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Urban League of West Michigan
Population(s) of focus: African American/Black community and youth
Resource: The opinion piece "Enact stronger tobacco policies to save Black lives" (subscription required) discusses frustrations surrounding the pullback of a national rule prohibiting menthol cigarettes and talks about how empowering communities can help repeal preemption set on local government. During various outreach events the Michigan state team encouraged partners to sign a resolution of support for the policy to end the sale of menthol and flavored tobacco products.
Minnesota Department of Health and NorthPoint Health and Wellness
Population(s) of focus: African American community, LGBTQ+ community, East African community, and 18–24-year-olds in rural Minnesota and at technical colleges
Resource: Story telling is a powerful tool in depicting compelling stories about the lived impact of commercial tobacco control products. Minnesota’s Big Tobacco Vs Us raises awareness and educates on the deeper health implications of these products.
New York State Department of Health and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Population(s) of focus: African American adults, Hispanic adults, and adults who identify as sexual or gender minorities within the LGBTQIA+ community
Resource: As an update to the long-standing quitline, the Menthol: A Targeted Takeover update to the NYS Quitline provides menthol-specific resources for specific communities of interest (LGBTQIA2S+, Black/African American, and Hispanic/Latinx).
Pennsylvania Department of Health and Latino Connection
Population(s) of focus: LatinX, local FQHCs, professional associations, county- and city- level health coalitions, and the PA School District
Resource: The Public Health Impact of Menthol Tobacco Products webinar series discusses menthol’s impact on tobacco use, its market and cultural significance, and offers strategies for cessation and treatment. The webinar topics were covered in both English and Spanish in favor of the populations of interest.
Rhode Island Department of Health and Oasis International Inc.
Population(s) of focus: African immigrant community, youth and their parents, grandparents, educators, and caregivers
Resource: Gaining insights from communities most impacted can help tailor cessation interventions. In the Rhode Island Menthol Community Discussion, participants were asked their perception of targeted tobacco and vaping industry advertisements and educated on industry tactics. The Train the Trainer Toolkit provided community leaders, educators, and caregivers with trainings to advocate for commercial tobacco use prevention and cessation within their communities.
Washington State Department of Health and Center of Multicultural Health
Population(s) of focus: Black/African American Washingtonians who use menthol products
Resource: The commercial tobacco cessation toolkit, "Fight the Power of Tobacco," discusses health disparities, cultural influences, and targeting practices by the tobacco industry that have resulted in a higher prevalence of commercial tobacco use by African American communities while providing evidence-based approaches to cessation.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Jump at the Sun, LLC
Population(s) of focus: Communities with a high concentration of Black/African-American people and community stakeholders vested in advancing health equity and social justice
Resource: No Menthol Sundays, led by the Center for Black Health and Equity, is an annual, faith-based initiative designed to engage and educate communities about the harms of menthol tobacco products and encourage cessation. The No Menthol Sunday 2024 Wisconsin Toolkit highlights their efforts, impacts, and challenges in their 10th year participating in this movement. The Jump at the Sun LLC Impact Report highlights their overall engagement in November/December 2024.
Watch Learning Collaborative Trainings
Equity-Centered Community Engagement Strategies
During this learning session, ASTHO’s Alicia Justice and Tenesha Lewis of ASTHO’s Programmatic Health Equity Initiatives and Strategies (PHEIS) team provided a presentation and facilitated a discussion on centering equity in the public health approach toward meaningful community engagement.
Menthol Messaging
Led by Amy Barkley, Director of Field Operations, and Claudia Rodas, Director of Southern Region for Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, this session served to explore communications strategies for the publication of a state-specific public communications resource.
Learn from Success Stories
- Explore the success stories and lessons shared by the participating states. Understand what worked well and adapt those approaches to your needs.
- Browse this Menthol Learning Collaborative Summary (PDF) to learn more about each state team involved in the learning collaborative. This document serves as a “how to” for menthol capacity building work and includes the contact information for team leads, their populations of focus, their outstanding accomplishments, and the communication strategies they implored.
- Identify common themes, challenges, and innovative solutions.
Engage Community Partners
- Collaborate with community-based organizations, local leaders, and affected communities.
- Foster trust, inclusivity, and cultural responsiveness by involving community voices in decision-making.
Assess State-Specific Needs
- Understand your state’s unique challenges related to menthol tobacco use.
- Analyze data on tobacco consumption, health disparities, and community demographics.
Develop State Action Plans
- Tailor strategies based on your state’s priorities. Consider the three approaches that the Learning Collaborative uses:
- Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change: Advocate for policies that reduce menthol product availability.
- Menthol Cessation: Create culturally-appropriate cessation programs and frame tobacco-free messaging in a culturally tailored fashion.
- Counter Marketing/Public Education: Educate the public about menthol’s impact.
- Engage stakeholders, including policymakers, health agencies, and community partners.
Leverage Existing Resources
- Browse the resources below to adapt your own state-specific infographics, factsheets, and webpages.
- Use evidence-based practices and communication messages.
Monitor Progress and Adapt
Latest Menthol Capacity Building Resources
Wisconsin's November-December Communications Impact Report for Jump at the Sun LLC Engagement
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