LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – After the FDA announced a proposed ban on menthol products, including cigarette and cigar flavorings, Dr. J. Taylor Hays with Mayo Clinic Health Systems shared what a change would entail.
Director of the Nicotine Dependence Center, Hays says hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved if menthol is banned over the course of 30-40 years, with a possible drop of smoking Americans as high as 15-percent after a decade.
It is estimated that 18.5 million Americans use menthol-infused tobacco products. That figure includes minors as young as 12 years old.
Hays says a part of menthol’s addictive quality has to do with traditional consumer behavior when shopping.
“We’ve known for a long time across most adult smokers there’s a fairly strong brand loyalty,” Hays said. “When you start with a brand, you usually don’t switch. People who start with menthol-containing cigarettes as a young adult probably will continue them.”
A deadline to pubically comment on the FDA’s proposal is August 2.
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