CDC Warns Of Menthol Cigarettes In Smoking Cessation Campaign

Credit: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has initiated the 2024 Tips From Former Smokers campaign, featuring individuals who have battled with the impacts of smoking, particularly menthol cigarettes, and their journeys towards quitting.

Quitting smoking is the single best way you can protect yourself and your family members, coworkers, friends, and others from the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. The people featured in the Tips campaign can inspire you and help you on your quitting journey!

The Tips website has free resources to help you quit and keep you motivated. Below are several free resources to help you in your quit journey. Quitting smoking can be hard, but it is possible! Keep trying until you find quitting supports that work best for you.

Join the millions of Americans the Tips campaign has inspired to quit smoking. Make 2024 the year you quit for good!

John B. tried many strategies to try to quit smoking, but nothing seemed to work. He kept trying and finally succeeded when, with the help of his doctor, he found the methods that worked best for him. Those methods were counseling and using two FDA-approved quit-smoking medicines.

Tammy W. thought that menthol cigarettes were less harmful than non-menthol cigarettes. She also thought she would avoid health harms if she continued eating healthy foods, exercising at the gym, and running every day. Tammy realized menthol cigarettes are just as dangerous as regular cigarettes when she discovered she had severe heart disease and had to have emergency open-heart surgery.

Menthol cigarettes can make it harder to quit smoking.

Several of the new ads focus on menthol cigarettes. Menthol is an ingredient added to many tobacco products. It creates a cooling sensation in the throat and airways, which makes smoking feel less harsh. Menthol in cigarettes can make them more appealing to young people and people who have never used tobacco products.

Menthol also enhances the effects of nicotine on the brain and can make tobacco products even more addictive. Menthol in cigarettes can make it more difficult to quit smoking.

In 2021, menthol cigarette sales made up 37% of all U.S. cigarette sales. Menthol cigarettes contribute to tobacco-related health disparities in the United States.

Over the years, tobacco companies have used tailored advertising to market to many communities, including:

African American Adults:

In the 1950s, less than 10% of African American adults who smoked used menthol cigarettes. That percentage has risen to 85%, compared to 39% of the general population that smokes. The tobacco industry has used several tactics to market menthol cigarettes to African American communities. For example, tobacco companies have placed ads in Black-owned publications and in neighborhoods with more Black residents.

LGBTQ+ Communities:

The tobacco industry has targeted the LGBTQ+ community for decades. Tobacco companies have sponsored events and offered bar promotions, giveaways, and advertisements that target LGBTQ+ people. More than 36% of LGBTQ+ adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes.

Women:

Tobacco companies designed menthol cigarette packaging and ads in ways that appeal to women. Women who smoke are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than men who smoke.

Youth and

Young Adults:

Tobacco companies have targeted marketing to youth through advertisements, in-store signage, and sponsorships of community music events. Flavored tobacco products, including menthol flavors, appeal to youth. Menthol in cigarettes makes it more likely that youth and young adults will try smoking. Menthol in cigarettes also makes it more likely that youth who start smoking menthols will continue to smoke on a regular basis.