The FDA Wants to Ban Menthol Cigarettes

The proposed menthol ban could take years to go into effect.

cigarettes
New health statements will soon appear on all cigarette boxes in the U.S. (Kirill KukhmarTASS via Getty Images)

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a bold plan to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in the U.S. because of the increased health risk they pose.

Traditional cigarettes come with a litany of health concerns for smokers, like heart disease and an increased risk of cancer, but adding menthol exacerbates those risks, CBS News reported.

Menthol is more addicting and its throat-cooling properties make it easier for new smokers to pick up and develop a habit, according to the FDA.

“More than half (54 percent) of youth smokers ages 12-17 use menthol cigarettes, compared to less than one-third of smokers ages 35 and older,” the agency reported.

“I believe these menthol-flavored products represent one of the most common and pernicious routes by which kids initiate on combustible cigarettes,” FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb added in a statement. “The menthol serves to mask some of the unattractive features of smoking that might otherwise discourage a child from smoking.”

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