Black Cops Fear Menthol Ban Will Bring Heavy Police Crackdown (1)

Black cops and civil rights advocates, grappling with calls to curb police violence, fear a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes from the Biden administration will only spur more confrontations between officers and Black people.

“The government says that the police won’t be enforcing this ban, but law enforcement is and has always been the dumping ground for all issues,” said Corey Pegues, a retired deputy inspector at the New York Police Department.

The Food and Drug Administration insists the menthol cigarette ban announced Wednesday is meant to address health disparities in communities of color and low income populations, ...