According to a study by the University of California, San Diego, and published in JAMA Network, menthol in tobacco products may increase the risk of youth experimentation and addiction.
The findings on the negative effects of tobacco among youths provides credence to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s latest decision to prohibit menthol tobacco sale and distribution.
More than 1,000 cigarette smoking youths residing in America were added to the study. The age range was between 12 and 17.
“This cohort study used a pooled sample of cohorts of US youth (aged 12-17 years at their baseline and follow-up interviews) in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (September 2013 to November 2019),” the study’s authors explained. “Household interviews were conducted using audio computer-assisted self-interviews.”
“These findings suggest that the addition of menthol to cigarettes is associated with increased smoking frequency and ND among US youth,” the authors also stated.