Sen. Richard Blumenthal says President Joe Biden will use his executive powers to ban menthol cigarettes.

The Connecticut senator spoke to the president Friday about the issue that Blumenthal calls “a long-sought public health goal.”

Dawna Melvin, 55, of Bridgeport says she was not surprised to learn that cigarette companies have spent decades marketing menthol cigarettes, which she smokes, to communities of color.

The Food and Drug Administration says 85% of Black smokers use menthol brands, and because of the flavor, which masks the taste of tobacco, menthols are a gateway product for young smokers.

Officials say they are also easier to become addicted to and harder to quit then other tobacco products.

“Communities of color are a target for a big tobacco and this industry uses menthol as one of his biggest tools to attract and addict communities of colors,” Blumenthal says. “As well as younger smokers.”

Melvin, a cancer survivor, says she’s been trying to quit smoke for years.

She tells News 12 that a ban on menthols might help her quit smoking.

“I know I can do it, and I keep saying I am going to quit, I am going to quit,” Melvin says. “I got patches; I’m going to do it.”