Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars

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Decades of tobacco industry documents show how the tobacco industry has deliberately targeted Black Americans with menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, as well as LGBTQ+ and limited-income communities. Menthol flavoring makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. Ensuring that more people smoke and fewer people quit means more money in Big Tobacco’s pockets.

ACS CAN urges the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a comprehensive and swift prohibition on menthol in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars. Additionally, ACS CAN will continue to advocate for the prohibition of all flavors in all tobacco products at all levels of government until they are no longer available to addict new consumers. Any flavored product left on the market will allow Big Tobacco to continue to target youth, communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community and others with its deadly products.

EXPLORE MORE ABOUT MENTHOL CIGARETTES AND FLAVORED CIGARS


Latest Updates

August 9, 2022
Maine

BANGOR – This evening, the city of Bangor will once again vote on a bill that would end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and menthol flavored products. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges City Councilors to prioritize the health of children

July 14, 2022
New York

NEW YORK – A coalition of public health groups applauded today’s introduction of legislation (Intro 577-2022) that would end the sale of menthol cigarettes in New York City by Councilmembers Rita Joseph and Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. According to a recent study from the NYC Department of Health and Mental

June 1, 2022
California

Los Angeles, Calif . – The Los Angeles City Council voted today to end the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes. The action, once final, would make Los Angeles the largest city in the country to end the sale of menthol cigarettes. However, the Council

May 19, 2022
National

In yet another delay that leaves America’s kids at risk, the FDA has told a federal court that it won’t finish its review of marketing applications for the most popular e-cigarette products until June 2023 – nearly two years after the September 9, 2021, court-ordered deadline to do so.

Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars Resources

Cigars are tobacco wrapped in tobacco leaf or wrapped in a substance containing tobacco leaf. They can come in all shapes and sizes. One study found that the sales of cigarillos - which comprise most cigar sales - increased from 2016 to 2020 while their prices decreased. Lower prices can make tobacco products more attractive to youth because they are price sensitive. The study also found a significant increase in the sales of certain flavored cigarillos and large cigars.

Among adults who currently smoke cigars, those who used flavored products were more likely to be non-Hispanic Black individuals, younger, and have lower household incomes.

Flavors are a marketing ploy tobacco manufacturers use to target youth and young people to a lifetime of addiction. Adding flavors can improve the ease of use of a product by masking harsh effects, facilitating nicotine uptake, and increasing a product’s overall appeal.

This factsheet provides highlights of key studies demonstrating that flavored tobacco product sales restrictions can reduce tobacco product availability, sales, retailer advertising, and use rates. Equally important, the enforcement of these policies is critical to their effectiveness.