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Menthol Ban Drives Up Smoking Cessation Rates
New research suggests that the ban of menthol cigarettes in Europe in 2020 made it more likely that menthol smokers would quit smoking entirely.
The study, led by researchers from Imperial College London, follows previous research in Canada that demonstrated a positive public health impact stemming from a menthol cigarette ban. Findings were published in the journal Tobacco Control.
For the Imperial College London study, researchers surveyed a national sample of adult menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers, both before and after the ban enacted by the European Union. Of menthol smokers surveyed, 26.1% had quit smoking post-ban, compared to 14.1% of non-menthol smokers. The 12% difference was even more pronounced than the one reported in Canada after its ban, in which menthol smokers reported a 7% higher cessation rate than non-menthol smokers after Canada’s menthol ban.
Menthol cigarettes have been banned in 35 nations to date. In April, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a rule banning menthol in cigarettes and cigars in the US.
The study’s findings, however, included a note that one-third of menthol smokers reported that they have continued to smoke menthol cigarettes despite the EU ban going into effect. In a news release announcing the study, researchers pointed to widely available accessories that allow users to add menthol flavoring to products themselves.
“These tobacco industry actions undermine the effectiveness of the menthol ban,” study co-author Marc Willemsen, professor in tobacco control research at Maastricht University and scientific director of tobacco control at the Trimbos Institute, said in the news release. “By tightening the regulations to include these menthol add-ons, the impact of the menthol ban on quitting could be even greater.”
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