Menthol cigarette use increased from 34% in 2008 to 43% in 2020.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed ban on menthol cigarettes may have even more of an impact as a new study conducted by the City University of New York and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that a little more than two out of five cigarette smokers frequently use menthol.
The study, published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, also found that more than 80% of Black smokers chose menthol in 2020, as indicated by a continuous rise from earlier studies. About 50% of smokers who identified as Hispanic, female, between the ages of 18 and 25 and 26 and 34, lesbian or gay, and having mental health issues smoke menthol cigarettes. This number is higher than previously reported and indicates that menthol use has expanded across all segments of the adult cigarette smokers.
The study analyzed data from approximately 128,000 American adult who participated in official surveys on drug use and health between 2008 and 2020. During that period, menthol cigarette use increased from 34% in 2008 to 41% in 2019. In 2020, menthol cigarettes were used by 43% of adults who had smoked in the previous month.
Black adults were the most likely to smoke menthol cigarettes. Menthol was also popular with young women, cigar smokers, and those experiencing severe psychological distress.
Menthol consumption among Hispanic smokers increased quickly over the research period, from 34% in 2008 to 48% in 2019 and then to 51% in 2020.