Menthol Cigarettes: Minty, Deadly, Addictive
While overall smoking rates in the U.S. are declining, use of menthol cigarettes, particularly among young smokers, is
rising. Menthol cigarettes serve as a starter product for many smokers and can provide a gateway to regular tobacco
use. These products have also been heavily marketed towards young people, minorities, and the LGBTQ communities;
unsurprisingly, these groups use menthol cigarettes in disproportionate numbers. Restricting access to these products
has been demonstrated to be an innovative and effective means of reducing the burden of tobacco.1

Use of menthol cigarettes is on the rise. While the overall smoking rate has decreased in the last decade, the
National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that since 2004 the rate of menthol cigarette use has dramatically
increased, especially among young smokers. 2, 3
o The overall rate of menthol use among adult smokers rose from 31 percent to 39 percent
o Among young adult smokers, the rate of menthol use from 34.1 percent to 50 percent
o Among adolescent smokers, the rate of menthol use rose from 43.5 percent to 54 percent

Menthol cigarettes are a gateway to regular tobacco use. Considerable research indicates that newer smokers
favor menthol cigarettes at substantially higher levels than established smokers.4 Research further shows that a
significant number of smokers eventually transition from menthol products to regular tobacco.
o Use of menthol cigarettes among new smokers rose from 41.7 percent to 51.7 percent5
o 15 percent of adolescent and young adult smokers switched from menthol to non-menthol cigarettes6

Vulnerable youth populations are impacted in larger numbers. Tobacco companies have a long and sordid history
of targeting menthol cigarettes to minorities.7 Unsurprisingly, statistics show menthol cigarettes have a disparate
impact on racial minorities, the LGBTQ community and people of low socioeconomic status.8
o 85 percent of African-American smokers, 47 percent of Hispanic smokers, 44 percent of smokers living below of
the poverty level, and 38 percent of Asian smokers report using menthol cigarettes9
o Among young LGBTQ smokers, 71 percent smoke menthol cigarettes10
o Studies show that menthol cigarette users, especially in African American communities, are less likely to
successfully quit smoking than non-menthol cigarette users11

Menthol cigarettes are just as dangerous as regular cigarettes. Numerous studies demonstrate the unique health
dangers posed by menthol cigarettes.
o Menthol is known to mask the harshness of cigarette smoke, providing a cooling sensation that has been found
to appeal particularly to new, young smokers12
o Studies have found that light smokers who use menthol cigarettes show greater signs of nicotine dependence
than comparable non-menthol smokers.13 Adolescent smokers of menthol cigarettes demonstrate a greater
urgency to smoke their first cigarette of the day over users of non-menthol cigarettes.14
Sources
1
Center for Public Health Systems Science. (2016). Point-of-Sale Report to the Nation: Realizing the Power of States and Communities to Change
the Tobacco Retail and Policy Landscape. St. Louis, MO: Center for Public Health Systems Science at the Brown School at Washington University in
St. Louis and the National Cancer Institute, State and Community Tobacco Control Research Initiative. Available at
https://cphss.wustl.edu/Products/ProductsDocuments/ASPiRE_2016_ReportToTheNation.pdf.
2
Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Use of Menthol Cigarettes. (Nov. 19, 2009). National
Survey on Drug Use and Health. Retrieved from: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k9/134/134MentholCigarettes.htm
3
Villanti, A.C., Mowery, P.D., Delnevo, C.D., Niaura, R.S., Abrams, D.B., Giovano, G.A. (2016). Changes in the prevalence and correlates of menthol
cigarette use in the USA, 2004-2014. Tob Control doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053329.
4
Preliminary Evaluation of the Possible Public Health Effects of Menthol Versus Non Menthol Cigarettes. (2013). U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Retrieved from:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ScienceResearch/SpecialTopics/PeerReviewofScientificInformationandAssessments/UCM361598.pdf
5
Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Recent Trends in Menthol Cigarette Use. (Nov. 18, 2011).
National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Retrieved from: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/WEB_SR_088/WEB_SR_088.htm.
6
Villanti AC, Giovino GA, Barker DC, Mowery PD, Sevilimedu V, Abrams DB. (2013). Menthol brand switching among adolescents and young adults
in the National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7): 1310-1312.
7
See, e.g., Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2016). Tobacco Company Marketing to African Americans. Available at
https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0208.pdf.
8
Cubbin, C., Soobader, M-J., LeClere, F. B. (2010). The intersection of gender and race/ethnicity in smoking behaviors among menthol and nonmenthol smokers in the United States. Addiction, 105(s1) 32-38.
9
Villanti, A.C., Mowery, P.D., Delnevo, C.D., Niaura, R.S., Abrams, D.B., Giovano, G.A. (2016). Changes in the prevalence and correlates of menthol
cigarette use in the USA, 2004-2014. Tob Control doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053329.
10
Moodie-Mills, A.C. (2011). Flavored Disease and Death for Minorities: Why the FDA Must Ban Menthol Cigarettes. Washington, D.C.: Center for
American Progress. Retrieved from: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/report/2011/05/12/9668/flavored-disease-and-deathfor-minorities/
11
Preliminary Evaluation of the Possible Public Health Effects of Menthol Versus Non Menthol Cigarettes. (2013). U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/TobaccoProducts/ResourcesforYou/UCM361953.pdf
12
Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. (2012). U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and
Health. Retrieved from: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/preventing-youth-tobacco-use/full-report.pdf
13
Fagan, P., Moolchan, E. T., Hart, A., Rose, A., Lawrence, D., Shavers, V. L., & Gibson, J. T. (2010). Nicotine dependence and quitting behaviors
among menthol and non-menthol smokers with similar consumptive patterns. Addiction, 105 (Suppl. 1), 55-74.
14
Collins, C. C., Moolchan, E. T. (2006). Shorter time to first cigarette of the day in menthol adolescent cigarette smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 31,
1460-1464.