Mint flavor ban could save 16,250 tobacco-related deaths yearly

Aug.05.2022
Mint flavor ban could save 16,250 tobacco-related deaths yearly
The ban on menthol cigarettes in the US could save up to 16,250 tobacco-related deaths per year by 2060.

In April of last year, the US Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on menthol tobacco products. A recent study published in BMJ Tobacco Control concludes that the menthol ban will prevent 16,250 tobacco-related deaths per year by 2060.


Rafael Meza, an epidemiology professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, stated that "this study is part of a series of projects aimed at evaluating the impact of a menthol cigarette ban on smoking and downstream health." "Our findings indicate that a menthol ban could bring significant health benefits, highlighting the urgency of approving and enforcing such a ban.


Dr. J. Taylor Hays, the director of the Mayo Clinic, announced earlier this week that a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes "could save hundreds of thousands of lives in the next three to four decades" and is currently under final review. "The Food and Drug Administration is taking action to eliminate menthol from tobacco," said Dr. Hays in a media teleconference on Monday, August. "It's coming and I think it's the right move for public health.


Hays claims that menthol cigarettes promote smoking by providing users with a cooler and smoother sensation. He states, "If you will, it provides a local anesthetic, which is a cooling effect." "This reduces irritability and cough reflexes, frankly speaking, making it easier to smoke...making it easier to start, easier to continue, and easier to become addicted.


The effectiveness of the ban on menthol cigarettes.


Meanwhile, the latest data from Massachusetts confirms that the statewide ban on menthol has led to a decrease in cigarette sales across the board. A research report titled "Massachusetts Cigarette Sales and the Comprehensive Ban on Menthol Flavors" states that after the ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes took effect, sales of all cigarettes in Massachusetts dropped by as much as 33%.


According to researchers, during the same period, cigarette sales decreased by 8% in 33 states that did not implement a menthol flavor ban, while sales of menthol-flavored cigarettes decreased by 3%. UPI quoted co-author Samuel Asare as saying, "We learned from Massachusetts that the menthol flavor ban effectively reduced both menthol and overall cigarette sales.


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