David Cato looked at his pack of cigarettes and the one smoke left in it.
It was early in the morning. He hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. And, in his months-long attempt to break a 40-year habit, he was at his daily crossroad — whether to buy another pack or resist the urge.
“My radiator hose went out on my car, so that might help me,” said Cato, an Atlanta-based concert promoter. “But I can still just walk to the store.”
For millions of smokers trying to quit, it can be an hour-by-hour, day-by-day struggle. Public health experts say that struggle is even harder when it involves menthol cigarettes. The minty-flavored cigarettes are heavily marketed, easier to get hooked on and disproportionately harm Black Americans.