The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that the rate of smokers twelve to seventeen years old using menthol cigarettes rose to 48 percent in 2008 from 44 percent in 2004.
"Why are they all of a sudden studying this?" asks ACSH's Jeff Stier. "It's interesting that a federal agency is now weighing in on this issue. There's an effort to create a record to make the case that young people are smoking menthol more in order to provide the FDA with the justification to ban menthol. They're focusing on its appeal to young smokers rather than the toxicology or health effects of menthol in order to justify a ban. The FDA tobacco legislation provides for this approach."