Poll: Michigan Residents of Middle Eastern and North African Descent Strongly Support Policies to Reduce Tobacco Use

Nearly 3 out of 4 MENA residents say the state should do more to limit youth access to tobacco and vaping products

LANSING — Michiganders of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent are concerned about tobacco use among young people and strongly support legislative efforts to reduce tobacco use in the state, according to a statewide survey released earlier today. Nearly three out of four MENA residents (73%) say the state should do more to limit youth access to tobacco and vaping products. And respondents strongly supported specific policy changes.

The survey, conducted by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, found that nearly two-thirds of MENA residents (65%) support a proposal that would end the sale of flavored tobacco products that can appeal to Michigan youth, including fruit and candy flavored e-cigarettes, menthol-flavored cigarettes, flavored hookah tobacco and other flavored tobacco products.

"We must prioritize protecting Michigan youth from the dangers of tobacco over the needs of the tobacco industry and this polling shows that the Middle Eastern Community agrees with that sentiment," said Jodi Radke, regional advocacy director for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and co-chair of the Keep MI Kids Tobacco Free Alliance. "Action is long overdue to protect all youth from the dangers of tobacco and we urge Michigan legislators to make this a priority yet this year."

In addition to curbing youth access to all flavored tobacco products, the survey showed that MENA residents also support other key policies to reduce tobacco use in Michigan, including:

• $1.50 Cigarette Tax Increase: 66% of MENA residents support increasing the state cigarette tax with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products with the money used to reduce tobacco use.
• E-Cigarette Tax: 80% of MENA residents support taxing e-cigarettes and vaping products the same way cigarettes are taxed.
• Remove Criminal Penalties for Those Under Age 21: 74% of MENA residents support removing criminal penalties for those under 21 who possess, use or purchase tobacco and instead license retailers and hold them accountable for selling to anyone under 21 years old.
• Retailer Licensing: 79% of MENA residents surveyed support requiring tobacco retailers to be licensed to sell tobacco products in Michigan.

"Enacting comprehensive tobacco prevention policies will lead to a healthier future for all Michiganders," said Dr. Brittany Tayler, internist and pediatrician at Hurley Medical Center, assistant professor at the Pediatric Public Health Initiative at Michigan State University and co-chair of Keep MI Kids Tobacco Free Alliance. "Our leaders must prioritize reversing the tobacco and youth e-cigarette crisis jeopardizing the health of Michiganders every day."

The survey also showed:

• Hookah use is not prominent among Michigan MENA residents, with only 16% of respondents reporting smoking hookah in a private home in the last year.
• 80% of MENA residents prioritize preventing children from becoming addicted over the rights of adults to buy flavored tobacco.
• 51% of MENA residents see smoking hookah as a social activity rather than an essential part of Middle Eastern culture.
• Only 16% of respondents smoked hookah at a lounge in the last year, with 75% citing social, not cultural reasons for doing so.
• 70% of MENA residents believe smoking hookah tobacco is just another way for young people to become introduced and addicted to tobacco.

The poll results reinforce the need for legislative action on the comprehensive tobacco prevention legislative package (Senate Bills 647-654) introduced in November 2023 in the Michigan Senate. The bill package, focused on protecting youth from the dangers of tobacco, would 1) end the sale of flavored tobacco products, 2) establish tobacco retail licensing, 3) tax e-cigarettes like other tobacco products and increasing taxes on tobacco products, 4) allowing local communities to enact local policies on tobacco sales and 5) repealing ineffective penalties that publish kids for tobacco purchase, use and possession.

The polling results are substantiated by research published this month from the University of California and Florida International University researchers. The study, conducted by Drs. Rezk-Hanna and Wasim Maziak, concluded that "there is neither cultural nor religious significance to flavored hookah tobacco smoking. The unsubstantiated claims by the hookah industry are another tobacco industry smokescreen used to justified marketing addictive and harmful products that target youth."

The statewide polling was conducted in March 2024 by the Glengariff Group of 600 Michigan residents of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.