WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Former House Speaker John Boehner joined the board of Reynolds American Inc. last week, bringing his Washington experience to the major tobacco company just as it faces new opposition to menthol cigarettes, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Known as a heavy smoker, Boehner resigned abruptly from the House last year after almost five years in office and almost 25 years in the House representing the state of Ohio. While speaker of the House, he spent much of his time corralling in conservative members of the Republican Party swept in during the Tea Party movement.
“RAI is striving to transform the tobacco industry through innovative strategies that include speeding the decline in tobacco use among young people and reducing the harm caused by smoking,” a Boehner spokesperson told the Journal. “These are objectives speaker Boehner supports and looks forward to helping RAI advance through his service on the board.”
In a recent letter to President Barack Obama, anti-tobacco activists led by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council said that 88% of black adult smokers and 95% of black youth smokers report smoking menthol-flavored cigarettes. The letter urged him to remove all flavored tobacco products from the market.
The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based tobacco company last year acquired the nation’s No. 1 menthol cigarette, Newport, in a $25 billion takeover of rival Lorillard Inc.
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