Menthol Is The Original Flavored Tobacco Product

Now is the time to shed a light on menthol, the “original flavored” product the Tobacco Industry has used for a century to make smoking easier to start and harder to quit.  10 years ago, menthol cigarettes were exempted from the Tobacco Control Act, which banned all other flavored cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes were originally developed for and promoted to women, now they’ve shifted their focus to the African American community, LBGTQ and low-income individuals.  Menthol cigarettes are even worse than regular cigarettes because menthol makes it easier for smokers to inhale more deeply and allows for harmful particles to settle deeper inside the lungs.

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Menthol has been a recruitment tool for far too long. Big Tobacco has added menthol flavoring to cigarettes for nearly a century to mask tobacco’s harsh taste, making the toxic smoke easier to inhale.³ But that ease comes with a price. The smoothness of menthol allows smokers to inhale more deeply, so harmful particles can settle lower in the lungs.⁴ Menthol cigarettes are also harder to stop – people who use menthol cigarettes have a harder time quitting.^5,6

For more information and ways you can put an end to menthol in your community, visit

Need help quitting? 

• Free quit help; counseling, chat services and more, visit California Smokers Helpline.

Additional information on the tobacco industry’s menthol manipulation:

• Menthol and Black Communities
• What Is Menthol Tobacco
• ‘The tobacco industry’s products are immensely destructive to Black communities, causing more deaths than AIDS, accidents, and homicide combined’- A Story of Inequity
• The Dangers And Impact Of Menthol Cigarettes