(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the Flavored Tobacco Product Prohibition Amendment Act of 2021. Following the signing, the Mayor released the following statement:
“To attack disparities in health outcomes and ensure all Washingtonians, no matter where they live in our city, have the same opportunities to live long, healthy lives, we must think and act broadly. Last week, when we broke ground on Whitman-Walker at St. Elizabeths East, on the same campus where we are building a new full-service hospital and down the street from the future DC Health headquarters, we could feel how transformative these investments will be for our residents. But they are only one piece of our work to build a healthier, more equitable DC. Reducing the use of tobacco is a health equity issue. We know that Black residents are disproportionately affected by tobacco use, and flavored tobacco, including menthol, continues to have a particularly insidious effect on our community. Today, we take a hugely impactful step to reducing tobacco initiation and addiction in Washington, DC.”