While menthol cigarettes appear gentler on the throat of users. An FDA study shows that they are actually more addictive than others.
“Cigarettes pose a greater public health risk than non-mentholated cigarettes” !!! This is the warning message that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just launched in the United States. The American agency, which has just commissioned a study on the subject, the results of which show that menthol cigarettes cause “increased dependence” in people who smoke them. Indeed, one of the conclusions of this analysis shows that these smokers are more likely than those who consume unscented cigarettes to light their first cigarette within 5 minutes of waking up. On the other hand, new smokers would turn more easily to these scented products.
“Menthol cigarettes raise essential public health questions,” says Margaret Hamburg of the FDA. This study shows that it is more difficult to stop the consumption of menthol cigarettes than others and that therefore they present a greater public health risk. “The FDA is engaged in scientific research on menthol cigarettes” she specifies.
The FDA therefore decided to launch a public consultation with the population in order to make decisions concerning new regulations on the accessibility of these menthol flavored cigarettes. A consultation that could eventually lead to their ban on the market. This is also the opinion of the “Compaign for Tobacco-free kids”, an association which campaigns for a world for children without tobacco. A ban decision which, if it occurs, should not please the 30% of adult American smokers “addicted” to menthol. Remember that several FDA experts had already estimated in March 2011 that withdrawing menthol from the market would be beneficial in terms of public health.
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