To the Editor:
That tobacco companies are currying favor with minority communities is neither new nor surprising (Tobacco and Its Money Have Minority Allies in New York, January 4). Yet, the backing of tobacco interests by some black and Hispanic New York lawmakers and their tacit promotion of cigarette smoking is shameful.
Black Americans suffer higher rates of smoking-related diseases than whites. In New York State, the prevalence of smoking among Hispanic adults surpasses that of whites and blacks. If minority politicians were truly concerned about the welfare of the communities they represent, they would not sacrifice the health of their constituents for short-term economic and political gains.