Op-Ed Published in The Columbus Dispatch

For those who know Joanne, know her research is extremely close to home.

As a member of and passionate advocate for the LGBTQ community, as well as a former smoker and current tobacco-researcher, Joanne  shares her experience using menthol cigarettes to cope with the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ community in a vulnerable Op-Ed published in The Columbus Dispatch.

Joanne, along with the Coalition to End Tobacco Targeting, calls on “leaders to protect the Columbus community — including the LGBTQ community and other historically marginalized groups who’ve been targeted by the tobacco industry — by ending the sale of flavored tobacco.” A ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes — which disproportionately burden the LGBTQ community — could deter LGBTQ youth from trying cigarettes and encourage current smokers to find an alternative to combustible tobacco.

Read more about Joanne’s experience as a menthol cigarette smoker and her call to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes in the Columbus community here: The Columbus Dispatch Op-Ed