For the First Time, a Study Quantifies the Harm Menthol Smoking Causes African Americans

For many years, national surveys have shown a consistently disproportionately high prevalence of menthol smokers among African Americans compared with the general population. However, no prior study has quantified the harm that menthol smoking has caused on that population. In this newly published study, researchers estimate the public health harm that menthol cigarettes have caused to the African American community over the last four decades. For this purpose National Health Interview Survey data, 1980 – 2018 were analyzed.

Findings show that menthol cigarettes were responsible for 1.5 million new smokers, 157 000 smoking-related premature deaths and 1.5 million life-years lost among African Americans over 1980–2018. While African Americans constitute 12% of the total US population, these figures represent, respectively, a staggering 15%, 41% and 50% of the total menthol-related harm.

The researchers concluded that removing menthol cigarettes from the market would benefit theoverall US population but, particularly, the African American community.
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https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com...

Source: Mendez & Le (2021). Consequences of a match made in hell: the harm caused by menthol smoking to the African American population over 1980–2018. Tobacco Control, Sept.