The Flavor Trap

10 years ago, Federal Law eliminated all flavored cigarettes other than menthol.

However, there are many other flavored tobacco products that are not covered by this law which highlights the health disparities in tobacco use.  The availability of flavors make youth more likely to start using tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, cigars, etc as well as making it harder for people to quit. 

Flavors improve the taste and reduce the harshness of tobacco products, making them more appealing and easier for beginners to try the product, more difficult to quit and ultimately become addicted. Menthol cools and numbs the throat, reducing the harshness of cigarette smoke, thereby making menthol cigarettes more appealing to youth who are initiating tobacco use. 

We know that marketing attracts youth to e-cigarettes, and flavors are what gets them to try them. Nicotine is what keeps them addicted.

81% of youth who ever tried tobacco, chose flavored tobacco as their first tobacco product.

Sales of flavored cigars have increased by nearly 50 percent since 2008, and flavored cigars made up more than half (52.1%) of the U.S. cigar market in 2015.

Sales of flavored cigars have increased by nearly 50% since 2008, and flavored cigars made up more than half (52.1%) of the U.S. cigar market in 2015.

According to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (2019 NYTS), the percentage of high school e-cigarette users who reported using mint and menthol flavors increased to 63.9% in 2019. 

Use of menthol cigarettes is more common among youth, female smokers, LGBT smokers, those with mental illness and racial and ethnic minorities, especially African-Americans.

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The Annals of Internal Medicine published a study that found smokers who used e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking were less likely to quit than those who did not use e-cigarettes.

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