When it comes to the LGBTQ+ community and commercial tobacco use, the statistics are daunting.According to what was last available via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)whose numbers have now been erased because of an executive order from President Donald Trumpabout one in six lesbian, gay and bisexual adults smoke cigarettes, compared with about one in nine of their heterosexual/straight counterparts. Cigarette smoking is also higher among transgender adults than cisgender adults.Also, commercial tobacco use among queer youth is more prevalent than non-LGBTQ+ youth. Smoking prevalence is 38-59% for LGBTQ+ youth, compared to 28%-35% for the general youth population, according to theAmerican Lung Association.Commercial tobacco use (as opposed to ceremonial tobacco use among Native Americans) in the queer population is about 40% higher than with their non-queer counterparts, confirmed National LGBT Cancer Network Executive Director Scout. (Side note: Scout got involved in healthcare advocacy from their days in ACT UPwhen, at one point, they were arrested with Windy City Times Owner Tracy Baim at a protest in Chicago against Westboro Baptist Church.) Scout noticed a trend: The numbers started to move downbut as soon asother tobacco products came into play, the numbers started to go back up again.But there are also stressors that can trigger commercial tobacco use, or nicotine addiction, as Scout has classified itand the current president embodies one of those triggering factors.The new administration put out an edict that all data related to trans people had to be stripped off of federal websites by5 p.m.[on Jan. 31], they explained. But also, federal data is not fast enough to measure those changes, but we did another research project knowing that this was coming. It covered about five states, and we got volunteer researchers and community organizations to interview people right before and right after the election. Smoking changes didnt happen that quickly, but as an indicator of the stress-based changes, anxiety increased 45%, depression by 19% and feelings of dread by 30% among trans Americans from the month before to the election until the week after; 80% reported that these health problems interfere with their daily functioning.However, simply being part of the queer community increases the likelihood of commercial tobacco usage as well. Multiplestudieshave shown factors such as internalized LGBTQ+-phobia, perceived stigma, and prejudice regarding sexual orientation and gender identity (which now mayincrease with developments such as DEI rollbacks) were associated with increased probability of cigarette and marijuana use in LGBTQ+ individuals.Marketing also contributes to the increased usage in the LGBTQ+ community, especially on social media. However, Scout talked about another aspect of nicotine-addiction marketingdirectly reaching out to traditionally underserved demographics: The tobacco industry is using a strategy of using newer products that fall outside of any regulatory frameworklike [the nicotine pouch] ZYNfaster than the FDA can respond.We fought so hard to get flavored cigarettes off the market and the only flavor thats left with traditional cigarettesand thats disproportionately used by queers, Latinx people, African Americans and Native Americansis menthol, they said. The one disproportionately used by minority populations was the only one that was allowed to stay. And the tobacco industry went on a huge campaign hiring people such as Al Sharpton. As a result, people like the ACLU are defending keeping this in; theyre using the argument that, since Black folks are using it, taking the items away will hurt that population.But then Scout added, Now you get to the new game. Those flavors arent banned for all the new products, so now were going to get an e-cigarette that looks like a high-tech product and were going to get a vape bar that looks like Starbucks. And youre going to go in for a customized experience and were going to give you 200 flavors like cherry Starburst or Capn Crunch. You put It all together and its a huge [attraction] for youth. And then if you had the vulnerable youth to the equationthose already struggling to fit inand its a toxic brew.National LGBT Cancer Network Executive Director Scout. Photo: LinkedInThe marketing also includes direct outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, according to Scout: Theyre now reaching out directly to our thought leadersparticularly, an organization run by a dear friend of mine who was a big tobacco-control advocate. A year before, he signed a letter about how menthol needed to be out. The Center for Black Equitya parent organization to all Black Prides around the countrywas run by Earl Fowlkes, a dear friend of mine. Last spring, the vaping industry came around and said, You know, all this regulation is really going to deny access. All of these smokers who are trying to get off of cigarettes and want to use vapes. Can we please partner with you on this?They asked different EDs and most said no. Eight months later, the Center for Black Equity came out with a reportslick as icethat was written by a white former Clinton Administration member; it said that we really need vapes, particularly the flavored ones. Now, people are seeing so many ads that reporters are asking What is up with this? Now theyre using our influencers against us. [Note: The Center for Black Equity vaping report is atthis link. A related press release is atthis link.]Marketing efforts, according to theTruth Initiative, can also include funding HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations and events.Waking up in the middle of the night to smokeThe effects of nicotine addiction are many, encompassing everything from anxiety to restlessness to cardiovascular disease to cancer to depression. So how does one recognize nicotine addiction?A really good test that stands the strength of time is seeing how long you can go without smoking after you wake up, Scout said. Back in the day, people would wake up in the middle of the night to smoke, or had to have a smoke while showering. But now, people are smoking less, so thats great.But the problem with nicotineespecially these little tobacco products theyre usingis that people will say, I just smoke occasionally. But then youll wake up and say, Ive been smoking occasionally for the last decade. Oops!With our community, we also have an increase in social smoking. People just do it when theyre out with their friendswhich, I guess, is better than doing it every day. But we want to be healthy influences on each other. But there are things you can do, like dont smoke around other people. Do it as much as you want, but dont do it around other people because its a socially transmitted disease. Weve talked with people in youth groups and they said that they hadnt started smoking until they joined other people outside.Scout underscored the significance of addiction with an astounding statistic: I read an article in a doctors office that said that if youre a cigarette smoker, the only semi-conscious thing in your life that youve done more than smoke is blink.Scout conceded that smoking cessation is a comprehensive endeavor: First, you try to combat the actual physiological addictionbut battling the habit is a long effort.However, they had tips on how to tackle cessation. You have to be gentle with yourself, Scout said. It takes about an average of seven times before people achieve success, so dont try it once and quit. Also, dont say, Im going to quit on Tuesday because thats what my cousin did and it worked for them. Well, my cousin mightve won the lottery but that doesnt mean Im going to buy a ticket. Use the sciencecall a quit line.Scout noted that quit lines such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW have people trained to be queer-welcoming.The quit lines might recommend that you see your doctor about medications. See your doctors and tell your friends; get social support. Get the counseling. Slowly gather your resources so you can start your cessation attempt. If you dont make it to full cessation but you cut down, thats a win.The tobacco industry wants you to blame yourself for smoking, because that freezes you from being able to do something about it. If you look at the fact that theyve been targeting our community with this kind of manipulation for decades, its a little easier for you to get upset about the freeze. For most people, if you dont smoke before youre 18, youre home-free so this is a pediatric thingand its the only pediatric epidemic where we somehow blame the victim. So please dont blame yourself.The post Why LGBTQ+ communities face higher risks of nicotine addiction appeared first on News Is Out.