Maher: Menthol Ban Is ‘Racist’ and Gives Cops More Reason to Be ‘Involved with Black Lives’

During the Overtime segment of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher argued that the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to ban menthol cigarettes is “racist” because it will give the police “more of a reason to get involved with black lives” by banning cigarettes preferred by black smokers.

Maher said, “To me, that’s racist, that’s — right? I mean, isn’t it the cigarette that blacks prefer?”

He added, “Well, it’ll make something illegal, which will give cops more of a reason to get involved with black lives.”

Maher later stated, “Smoking’s bad, bad for blacks, bad for whites. Why ban the black cigarette? It seems just unnecessarily divisive.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett