Why are menthol cigarettes considered harmful, and is it true?

Smoking cigarettes is not healthy regardless of the type, quality or brand of cigarettes - but menthol can be much worse. A U.S. advisory committee is now reviewing the unique health threats posed by menthol smokers and may lobby for a menthol cigarette ban. Is menthol smoke even worse than common when it comes to the health effects of smoke?

Menthol vs standard cigarettes: Are menthol cigarettes even worse?

Smoking menthol cigarettes can be much more addictive compared to smoking non-flavored substances - making it harder for a menthol cigarette smoker to quit smoking. The increased possibility of addiction seems to come from the more attractive menthol flavor. Based on research published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research and in the New York Times, menthol smoke is very popular with three-quarters of African-American smokers. Black smokers, as a group, are more likely to quit smoking than their white counterparts who buy normal cigarettes seventy-five percent of the time. Specialists believe that it is the menthol taste that is partly the reason for the lower smoking cessation among blacks.

People who smoke menthol cigarettes smoke less cigarettes but consume more nicotine with each inhalation compared to people who smoke normal menthol sigaretten. Menthol is often put in cigarette brands that are labeled "light". Regardless of this, people who smoke these light cigarettes consume as much or more nicotine as they take much deeper inhalations and hold smoke in the lungs longer. Light smoke may not be so "light".

Will there be a cigarette ban on menthol?

Cigarettes with added flavors such as fruit, cola, spice and chocolate were banned in 2009 because of their potential to entice children to smoke and become addicted. Adding to the fact that the health damage at a younger age could be significantly greater, giving the flavored cigarettes really an unwanted image.