Menthol Cigarettes are More Dangerous than the Others, Research Says

Sharon Moore July 25, 2013

A review from the Food and Drug Administration in the US concludes that menthol cigarettes pose greater health risks to consumers and that banning them in the market could greatly benefit the public.

Combining menthol with tobacco has become a great way for smokers to enjoy their cigarettes. The cooling and anaesthetic qualities of menthol make tobacco tastes better. However, US researchers found that menthol cigarettes are much worse than the others and are now proposing policy restrictions on the sale of such products.

Mint-flavoured cigarettes mask health risks

According to the federal agency, whilst menthol cigarettes may just be as toxic as other cigarettes, it was easier to start smoking them and harder to quit. No wonder why it has become one of the fastest growing areas in the tobacco industry. In the 2011 FDA advisory panel report, the researchers conclude that banning menthol cigarettes would greatly benefit the public. They also highlighted greater use of mint-flavoured cigarettes among teens, minorities, and low-income people.

Tobacco manufacturers in the US acknowledged the study findings which show menthol cigarettes are more dangerous than their non-flavoured counterparts but said there’s no scientific evidence supporting the claim that they should be regulated differently.

Another study by the Harvard University suggests that menthol has been used to make cigarettes more appealing to the young. Mint masks the harshness of tobacco – encouraging smokers to inhale the smoke deeper and take in more nicotine. In this study, 43.8 per cent of young smokers between 12 to 17 years old said they used menthol cigarettes whilst 35.6 per cent did among 18 to 24-year-olds.

In the research by the Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, it was found that 25 per cent of white smokers choose menthol cigarettes whilst 70 per cent of African-American smokers use them. In the UK, menthol and other flavoured cigarettes are less popular. Just this year, the EU health ministers agreed on a directive to ban menthol cigarettes, and the decision might be implemented within three-and-a-half years.

Source of this article:

FDA says menthol smokes ’worse’ than normal cigarettes